Meerut: The growing rift between Mayor Sunita Verma and municipal authorities here was apparent on Tuesday when the former accused the latter of not coordinating with the elected body in maintenance of civic amenities so much so that the entire system was collapsing.The mayor’s outburst came on Tuesday, when Meerut Municipal Corporation (MMC) officials did not show up at a meeting scheduled to be held between them and councillors to discuss civic matters.“We cannot pursue any development work without the cooperation of civic authorities. Our councillors are not even going home as public asks questions on why even basic facilities are not being provided to them. There are handpumps that need to be repaired in wards, sanitation work is also not up to date, streetlights are in a poor state and many need immediate repairs. On Tuesday, a meeting was supposed to be held in this regard but since they have no answers to these issues, they (municipal authorities) failed to attend the same,” said VermaOn his part, municipal commissioner Manoj Kumar Chauhan, has refuted all the charges. He said, “We are working round the clock. All works are being done in accordance with the budgetary provisions and law. I do not see any lack of coordination. Every demand which is being made within the ambit of law, it is being fulfilled. The allegations are false."Verma is one of the two non-BJP mayors out of 16 mayors who were elected in December last year in UP. Ever since, there has been a discordance between her and the administration. There have been repeated instances of clashes between BJP councillors and BSP-SP combine members over a range of issues. In fact, on the day of oath ceremony in December last year, there were clashes over the singing of ‘Vande Mataram’. A BSP leader, Sunita's husband Yogesh Verma is also in jail for allegedly instigating violence during April 2 Dalit agitation that claimed two lives in Meerut city.

Stay updated with all the Meerut Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.