Chandigarh, March 12 -- Hoping to pay the February salaries of its employees before Holi, the cash-strapped Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC) is considering taking a Rs.50 crore loan. This is for the first time in the civic body's history that it is having to take loans to pay salaries to its employees.

The MC had been banking on the administration for additional grants as Punjab governor and UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria on February 22 assured to transfer surplus funds from UT's annual budget for FY 2024-25 to the civic body after the Centre's approval. While Kataria had said that any announcement or allocation of funds will likely be made around March 15, the MC has not got any confirmation as of now. Thus, it is considering...