Rumours circulating throughout the day of the impending resignation of Chennai Mayor Saidai Duraisamy fuelled a flurry of phone calls to the Corporation offices on Saturday.
While the rumours originated among AIADMK party cadre in the city, speculation about the fate of the Mayor was rife on social media.
Unconfirmed reports did the rounds on Saturday of the ‘visit of deputy mayor P. Benjamin to Poes garden’ and allegations relating to ‘proposed stormwater drain projects in added areas’.
As a result, officials at the Corporation were busy attending calls.
“We received an unusually large number of phone calls on Saturday. Most of them pertained to the rumours of the Mayor’s resignation,” said an employee at Ripon Buildings.
Some of the daily civic works were reportedly hindered as officials were unsure of the news, and the impact of the resignation, if true, on the functioning of the Corporation. Keen on knowing the facts related to certain allegations, many councillors failed to turn up at spots where civic issues were reported. However, in the evening, the civic body’s health department started a drive to improve the hygiene of food stalls on the Marina beach.
The silence of the Mayor continued to fuel speculation. After participating in an award ceremony in New Delhi, where he received an award for the city, the Mayor reached Chennai in the evening. Ironically, Chennai, whose roads were literally crumbling during the recent rains, had been adjudged the best overall city in the country at the ceremony.
