As the House assembled, Mayor Pardeep Chhabra said the Commissioner's presence was a must if the Solid Waste Management Plant had to be discussed.

“Since he has not come, the issue should be postponed to the next House meet,” he said.

While the Congress councillors readily agreed to this, Akali councillor Harjinder Kaur raised objections. She said a discussion could be held because the approval for the plant was given when Anu Chatrath was the mayor and she was present in the House on Wednesday.

Expressing resentment towards the adjournment, she said: “Today's meeting was just a drama. They wanted to gather the councillors prior to the mayoral elections in order to pressurise them.”

The Congress councillors, however, did not oppose the Mayor’s decision.

“He (Sunkaria) is the one who will be able to give answers to many questions, like who gave the extension to the company for streamlining the functioning of the plant,” said councillor Chander Mukhi Sharma.

The mayor said: “The aim is to make the plant functional. This will be beneficial for the residents. The commissioner could not have given extension to the company without consulting the House. The issues need to be resolved. For this, the presence of the Commissioner is essential.”