BJP councillor shaves her head over 'neglect' of ward development works in UP's Firozabad

BJP councillor Usha Devi Shankhwar on Tuesday shaved her head at the Firozabad Municipal Corporation premises to protest against the alleged discrimination in development works and neglect of civic issues in her ward.The councillor from Ward No. 6 reached the gate of the municipal corporation and got her head tonsured after protesting for several days over the alleged delays in development works in her area.The incident triggered a political row in the municipal body, with members of the contract sanitation workers union and some councillors extending support to her.

BJP councillor Usha Devi Shankhwar on Tuesday shaved her head at the Firozabad Municipal Corporation premises to protest against the alleged discrimination in development works and neglect of civic issues in her ward.

The councillor from Ward No. 6 reached the gate of the municipal corporation and got her head tonsured after protesting for several days over the alleged delays in development works in her area.

The incident triggered a political row in the municipal body, with members of the contract sanitation workers' union and some councillors extending support to her. After the tonsure protest, Shankhwar sat on a dharna inside the municipal corporation premises.

She alleged that development works in her ward were being obstructed due to opposition from the mayor's husband and claimed that no significant work had been carried out in the area for the last three years.

Shankhwar also levelled allegations against Surendra Rathore, husband of the mayor, accusing him of preventing development works in her ward. BJP councillor Munendra Yadav also joined the protest to support her.

Office-bearers of the contract sanitation workers' union too sat on the dharna in solidarity with the councillor.

Responding to the allegations, Municipal Commissioner Prashant Nagar termed the claims ''baseless''.

He said development projects worth around Rs 64 lakh had been proposed for the councillor's ward, out of which some works had already been completed while the remaining were nearing completion.