Will make Srinagar truly a ‘smart’ city: Sheikh Imran

SRINAGAR — In an unprecedented move in the history of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), Sheikh Mohammad Imran has come out with a separate plan for councilors, Srinagar city and COVID-19 management to gain support from the people and the councilors in the Mayor elections on July 14.

Sheikh Mohammad Imran filed his nomination papers for Srinagar Mayor Election today.

While addressing the media, Sheikh said, “I have vision and mission to make Srinagar one of the smartest cities in the country. I want to restore the lost esteem, dignity and identity of the councilors, and for that, I will increase their honorarium, provide one crore development works, security, accommodation, smartphones, laptops, regular study tours and training to councilors to empower them as ‘performing’ and real representatives of the people”.

“I will work for the COVID-19 pandemic in an effective way. I have a mission to create a plasma bank in the city to treat COVID patients effectively,” he added.

He told the reporters, “I have a deep desire to establish a standard administrative protocol and high-end health structure to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and setting a tested protocol and structures in the management of any future epidemics and pandemics”.

At a time when Srinagar Municipal Corporators are up in an ante against the ex-Mayor, Junaid Azim Mattu for not addressing their issues and concerns, the promising Mayor candidate, Sheikh Mohammad Imran in his manifesto has expressed his vision to solve the problems and issues faced by the councilors and establish SMC as the best performing municipal corporation in the country. On July 14, the two arch rival politicians will come face-to-face in Mayor election.

The vision document contains promises to the general public to make SMC corruption-free and establish the structures for accountability and transparency and grievance redressal for good governance.

The document reads that if Sheikh Imran is elected Mayor of Srinagar, he will increase the honorarium of corporators by 50% within 30 days from assuming office and further by 50% gradually. He promised councilors to provide security, accommodation, offices inwards, create a ward development fund of the tune of Rs 5 lakh per month and Rs 50 lakh per year for each councilor and to make a ward development plan of Rs one crore per annum per corporator.

The document says, “To increase the capacity of the councilors for better local governance, each corporator will be given regular study tours and training along with smartphones and laptops”.

While talking to the media, Sheikh Imran said, “I want to empower the councilors to help them serve as ‘performing’ and ‘real’ public representatives.”