The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Madurai News : Corporation officials at receiving end at council meeting in Madurai

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Corporation officials at receiving end at council meeting in Madurai

Councillors and Commissioner pull them up for giving evasive reply

MADURAI: Corporation officials were at the receiving end at the council meeting here on Thursday. Besides councillors, including ruling party members, Commissioner D.J. Dhinakaran pulled up at least two officials when they failed to give satisfactory replies during the discussion.

When City Health Officer A. Subramanian could not give a proper reply as to why he failed to procure mosquito control spray, Mayor G. Thenmozhi said, “Did I not ask you to get it immediately during last month’s meeting itself?” she said. All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader P. Salaimuthu said that the Health Officer alone should not be held responsible, when the Mayor and Commissioner were supposed to periodically review their functioning.

When Mr. Subramanian said that there was “nil” stock of the chemical, the Commissioner got wild and said that being a local health authority, it was unexpected of the officer to give such a reply. Mr. Dhinakaran accused him of failing to get necessary stock of spray from at least the district Health Department.

Later, the Mayor announced that the Commissioner had promised to get the chemical immediately and spraying would resume soon.

Plan approval

Meanwhile, the Commissioner also pulled up Chief Town Planning Officer Murugesan for “giving evasive replies to queries on building plan approval and penalty imposed on buildings that had violated approved plans.” When Mr. Murugesan said that he would provide the figures during the next council meeting, Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader M. Ganesan expressed displeasure.

The Commissioner also was apparently not satisfied with the reply and directed the official to get necessary details from computerised data immediately and give a reply to the member.

South Zone chairman A. Manickam complained that he had to take up several issues with the Commissioner or Mayor to be properly redressed since officials were not cooperating. “I cannot do this for every other issue,” he said.

East Zone Chairman V.K. Gurusamy and DMK councillor G. Kaderammal criticised the officials for not having set right the water problem in their areas for months. Chairperson for Standing Committee on Health P.S.A. Raliyabanu threatened to complain to Chief Minister if the officials continued to fail to act on issues discussed. “There is no purpose to hold council meetings and it is meaningless for you (the Mayor) to direct the officials to fulfil our requirements,” she said.

Shops in bus stand

After a heated discussion on construction of additional shops at Mattuthavani Integrated Bus Stand, North Zone chairman K. Esakkimuthu shocked everyone by saying, “the officials should accept that things had gone wrong there and try to avoid any such recurrence.” He also rebutted the officials by denying that the Rani Mangammal Chathiram was closed due to construction work. “It should benefit the poor as conceived by Rani Mangammal and the administration should be transparent enough,” he said.

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