Chandigarh, April 18 -- With the onset of spring and a surge in leaf shedding across Chandigarh, city mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla wrote a letter to member of Parliament (MP) Manish Tewari on Thursday, requesting the allocation of adequate funds from the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) to the cash-strapped Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC) for buying at least five leaf collector machines to manage the city's leaf waste.

The letter came after HT had highlighted that due to a lack of adequate scientific processing facilities and collection equipment, heaps of dry leaves have accumulated along roadsides, turning civic neglect into a growing eyesore and potential fire hazard.

In the letter, Babla wrote, "In Chan...