Ludhiana: Proposal for direct payment to MC legal adviser put on hold

A meeting of the the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation’s Finance and Contracts Committee (F&CC) at the mayor’s camp office on Tuesday saw 100 resolutions discussed and passed, but a proposal to pay the salary of legal adviser Gaurav Khurana directly from Municipal Corporation (MC) funds — instead of through a private agency — drew strong reactions and was deferred. The cleared resolutions were related to development of parks and roads.

Khurana, son of MLA Madan Lal Bagga, was appointed MC’s legal adviser in January 2023 via outsourcing agency — Mess Gratis India Private Limited. Under the current arrangement, the MC pays the agency, which transfers Khurana’s salary after deducting service charges. The proposal sought to bypass the agency.

Supporters of the proposal argued that the legal advisor’s role is essential to the corporation’s operations and direct payment would reduce financial burden as it would save service charges. However, the plan faced criticism from within the committee and other quarters. Opponents countered that the move would be unfair to other outsourced employees, who also face service charge deductions but are not considered for direct payment. They argued that such a special arrangement for one individual would be unfair.

BJP leader Deepak Sharma alleged political influence behind the proposal. “It is not appropriate to appoint someone as legal adviser when his father is an MLA and brother is a councillor. If the MC wants to pay directly, it should do so for all outsourced employees,” he said.

Mayor Inderjit Kaur said no decision would be taken in haste. “We will act only according to law. Since the proposal needs detailed discussion, it has been put on hold,” she said.

This is not the first time the MC’s legal adviser post has seen changes. The corporation has had multiple appointments in recent years, first through in-house postings, then through outsourcing, as it waits for the state government to approve a regular, permanent appointment.