During a recent Patna Municipal Corporation board meeting on Friday, four out of five agendas were approved, but a crucial one concerning leased properties hit a snag. The corporation lacks comprehensive information regarding properties leased under the Patna Regional Development Authority (PRDA). A proposal to convert these leased properties into free-hold was presented, but the insufficient data led to a heated debate.

Approximately 60 years ago, properties in areas like Rajendra Nagar, Shrikrishna Puri, PIT Colony, and Beur were allotted on lease. Ward-38 Councillor Dr. Ashish Sinha questioned the basis for setting a 10% fee for original allottees and 12% for those selling or transferring the property for free-hold conversion. Following councillors' demands, a special meeting on this issue will be held on August 18 to finalize the agenda.

Female councillors expressed strong dissatisfaction over issues like faulty streetlights, waterlogging, and sanitation vehicle deficiencies during the meeting. More than 15 female councillors, including Rani Kumari (Ward-27), Poonam Sharma (Ward-46), and Rajni Sinha (Ward-43), staged a sit-in in front of the Mayor and Municipal Commissioner, demanding immediate resolution.

The city's sanitation system was also reviewed. Three outsourcing agencies—Virtuous India, M4 Solutions, and Mauryan Cars Auto Services—were issued notices and fined ₹72.34 crore for failing to provide adequate staff during a strike period. To enhance water supply, high-yield tubewells were approved for Bhawar Pokhar (Ward-39), Atal Park (Ward-54), Sadakat Ashram (Ward-22B), Ganga Vihar Colony (Ward-51), and SDO Office (Ward-58). Each tubewell is estimated to cost around ₹1.35 crore. However, this agenda also faced scrutiny as the state government has reportedly put a stop to such water supply projects. A ruckus ensued over the non-approval of a tubewell in Ward-38, requiring the empowered standing committee to provide clarification for 20 minutes.