Sporting black shirts and black saris, the councilors of AIADMK staged a walkout from the council meeting while raising slogans against the Tamil Nadu Government’s decision to steeply raise the property tax.
“The Tamil Nadu Government’s decision to increase the property tax between 25 % and up to 150% will severely affect the tax payers who have already been hit hard by the COVID-19,” said AIADMK councilor Chandrasekar while staging the walkout along with the councilors Muthulakshmi and Amudha.
Mayor P.M. Saravanan thanked DMK supremo and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, his son and youth wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin and Palayamkottai MLA and DMK’s Tirunelveli central district secretary M. Abdul Wahab as it is his maiden council meeting after being elected for the coveted post.
Despite opposition from the AIADMK councilors, the council adopted its resolution on hiking the property tax.
Addressing the council meeting, Mr. Saravanan said two more urban primary health centres would come up within the jurisdiction of Tirunelveli Corporation even as 9 urban primary health centres would get additional buildings, equipment and manpower at the cost of ₹ 9.87 crore.
He said due thrust was being given to complete the ongoing projects under the Smart City Scheme under which the city had received ₹ 965 crore and already completed projects worth ₹ 365 crore.
When councilor Gogila Vaani of ward 12 moved a proposal for installing a statue for Tamil scholar late Tho. Paramasivan, popularly known as Tho. Pa. and establishing a library on his name in Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, the Mayor said steps would be taken for executing the suggestions.
Councilor J. Sangeetha of MDMK of ward 40 urged the Mayor and the Commissioner to construct at least two overhead tanks in her ward, which has no overhead tank as of now to strengthen drinking water supply.
“Since the Tamil Nadu Housing Board and the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board are constructing apartments in my ward, around 5,000 people will occupy these apartments in near future. As drinking water supply to the residents of my ward is already in shambles due to poor drinking water supply infrastructure, the huge population to be part of my ward in near future will further worsen the situation. Hence, at least two overhead tanks – one with 5 lakh litre and the other one with 3 lakh litre capacities - should be constructed to ensure sufficient and effective drinking water supply,” said Ms. Sangeetha, complaining that drinking water leakages were not attended even 25 days after her complaint with the officials.
DMK councilor P. Subramanian of ward 3 said the Corporation should appoint adequate number of drivers for garbage collection vehicles and the sanitary workers to make the solid waste management drive effective and ensure clean city.
Corporation Commissioner B. Vishnu Chandran said the Corporation, which was in need of 1,100 sanitary workers, had only 733 persons and hence had to obtain permission from the Government to appoint more number of sanitary workers.
He also informed that the Corporation, which owns 2 earthmovers, would try to get two more under the Corporate Social Responsibility fund from the industries so that each zone could be given a heavy equipment.
Councilor Ramzan Ali of ward 46 appealed to the Mayor to sanction 2 urban primary health centres to Melapalayam area housing more than 2 lakh people. “Since a urban primary health centre is being set up to cover 50,000 population, we are in need of 4 urban primary health centres. We appeal to you to sanction at least 2 urban primary health centres,” appealed Mr. Ramzan Ali, which was accepted by the Commissioner, who said an urban primary health centre was coming up within the Melapalayam zone office premises and would try to get one more.
CPI (M) councilor Muthu Subramanian appealed to the officials to cancel the solid waste management tax as collection of solid waste getting generated in the houses was erratic.
When chairman of Palayamkottai Zone M. Francis wanted to know about the fate of the underground drainage scheme being implemented in Melapalayam Zone and the Ariyanayagipuram drinking water scheme, Mr. Vishnu Chandran said the underground drainage work, with the grant from Asian Development Bank, was being executed in Thatchanallur and Melapalayam Zones. Since the underground drainage work at Melapalayam Zone, which was implemented by the company Simplex could not be completed within the stipulated period, the contract awarded to the company had been annulled after getting the Asian Development Bank’s concurrence.
“So we’ve to float the tender afresh to identify a successful bidder… The tender will be floated by this weekend,” Mr. Vishnu Chandran said.
Since a new contractor has to be identified for completing the ongoing underground drainage project, it may take long time to complete the work, the Corporation officials said, adding that the already badly damaged roads in the underground project areas could be re-laid only after the completion of the scheme.
Mr. Vishnu Chandran also said the Ariyanayagipuram drinking water scheme would be commissioned in Melapalayam Zone within a month and Palayamkottai Zone would get water from this scheme afterwards.
