Chandigarh, Oct. 31 -- The municipal corporation (MC) has approved an enhanced budget of Rs.50 lakh for Chhath Puja arrangements at 14 or 15 locations across Chandigarh, while the annual Chrysanthemum show will be organised in December with an allocation of Rs.30 lakh. The Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC), chaired by mayor Saurabh Joshi, approved the proposals at its meeting on Friday. The Chhath Puja allocation was increased from the initially proposed Rs.35 lakh following the mayor's intervention, with an additional Rs.15 lakh sanctioned. Joshi said Chhath was an important expression of the faith and cultural traditions of the Purvanchal and Mithilanchal communities. The Tricity Mithila Association welcomed the decision. The arrangements for the festival, scheduled for November 15 and 16, will include temporary ghats, water facilities, sanitation, lighting, decorations, tents and sound systems. Identified locations include the Green Belt pond in Indira Colony, Manimajra, Shivalik Garden and Sunder Nagar in Mauli Jagran. The Chrysanthemum show is to be organised in December. Among other approvals, Rs.32 lakh was sanctioned for a sanitation booth for safai karamcharis in Sector 44, while Rs.12 lakh was approved for installing a musical fountain with LED lighting in Indira Colony, Manimajra. The committee also cleared public toilet renovations in Badheri, Sector 18-D and Sector 37-D, along with a road construction in Sector 13, Manimajra, lighting works in Sectors 37 and 38, and repairs to walking tracks and green belt infrastructure in Indira Colony. Permission was also granted to demolish an old tubewell chamber in Daria village. MC commissioner Amit Kumar, during a review meeting, directed engineering wings to submit a detailed, document-backed report on expenditure incurred on minor works and maintenance activities following questions raised in media reports over the use of civic funds. Kumar asked officials from the building and roads (B&R), public health, horticulture and electrical wings to reconcile expenditure figures with administrative approvals, estimates, work orders and execution records. The B&R wing clarified that Rs.2 crore spent on paver blocks and back-lane repairs in Sector 17's commercial belt was covered under six separate F&CC-approved estimates. It also denied executing works worth Rs.6 crore and Rs.10 crore under the minor works budget. The public health wing reported expenditure of Rs.25 crore between April 1 and October 28/29, claiming it was lower than in previous years. Horticulture and electrical wings attributed around Rs.9 crore to maintenance of parks, green belts, fountains, toilets and public amenities. The commissioner stressed that all expenditure must be supported by verifiable records and prescribed approvals....