The Coimbatore Corporation has decided to increase the number of members in three of the six standing committees. It also decided to retain the number for the rest.
At the first Council meeting, held here on Friday, the Corporation Council unanimously resolved to increase the strength from seven to nine for the Accounts Committee, Education, Parks and Playground Committee and Public Health Committee. Of the nine members, three would be women, as per the one-third reservation norm.
The Taxation and Finance Committee, Town Planning Committee and Works Committee would continue to have 15 members, including five women members.
The Council, at its urgent meeting, decided to do so after a direction from the State Government, which said that the Council was empowered to decide on the number of members of the committees, having six as the minimum and 15 as the maximum.
At the start of the meeting, Mayor S.M. Velusamy welcomed the councillors as it was the first for the members. He urged them to work for the city's and wards' development, keeping aside political and other differences.
Promising cooperation, he said he wanted to make Coimbatore a model city and the Corporation to set an example to other local bodies. Commissioner T.K. Ponnusamy presided over the council meeting.
At the end of the Council meeting, Mr. Velusamy also said that each of the 100 councillors would get a new mobile phone number and may be a new mobile phone as well. The councillors greeted the message by thumping the desks. A few among the councillors suggested that the Corporation provide them dual-SIM phones so that they could use a phone to accommodate old and new numbers.
The Accounts Committee would hand the following subjects: Corporation's income and expenditure, audit, assets, accounts-related details from Central and State governments, etc.
The Education Committee would take care of education, Corporation schools' infrastructure, playgrounds, parks and their maintenance.
The Public Health Committee would deal with public health, maternity health, family welfare, malaria eradication, solid waste management, drug procurement and hospital maintenance.
The Taxation and Finance Committee would take care of property, professional and other taxes, lease of Corporation land for other departments and financial discipline and budget planning. The Town Planning Committee would deal in town planning and expansion and land classification conversion.
The Works Committee's scope would be works related to roads, parks, drains, street lights, roundabouts, storm water drains, etc. and their maintenance, purchase of vehicles and their maintenance and water supply works.
