Mayor M. Anbazhagan on Thursday said that the Tiruchi Corporation would soon conduct a fresh survey on street vendors so as to constitute a Town Vending Committee to regulate roadside shops in the city.
Speaking at the Corporation Council meeting here, he said that though the Corporation made attempts thrice in the past to conduct the election to elect members among the street vendors to the Town Vending Committee it could not complete the process due to litigation in the High Court. There were apprehensions that the electoral roll of street vendors was not in proper order. Many genuine vendors were not included in the list. Hence, it had been decided to conduct a resurvey so as to draw an undisputed list. A Chennai-based agency would be involved in it. After the process, an election would be conducted to elect the street vendors’ representatives.
Intervening in the debate, several DMK members brought the attention of the Council to the hardship faced by the general public due to the occupation of public space in thickly populated commercial areas in the city by street vendors.
M. Mathivanan, the DMK member representing ward 16, said that indiscriminate encroachment of public space on NSB Road, Nandikovil Street and several adjacent commercial areas had been causing displeasure to the people. Strong action should be taken against the roadside encroachers. The roadside vendors should be kept out of the narrow and thickly populated commercial areas.
L. Rex, the Congress member representing ward 39, said that street dog menace had raised its ugly head again in different parts of the city. The ongoing sterilisation drive was not effective, he added.
Replying to him, Mr. Anbazhagan said that in addition to the existing dog sterilisation centre on Konakarai Road, three more centres were being constructed. They would be completed before October. Once they came into existence, time-bound street dog sterilisation drives could be undertaken.
K. Suresh Kumar, the CPI member, representing ward 23 said that veterinarians should be appointed to each centre so that it could function well. Private parties should not be allowed to man the centres.
Later, the AIADMK members staged a walkout from the Tiruchi Corporation Council meeting, protesting against the steep hike in power tariff.
Shortly before the council met to discuss the agenda listed in the ordinary meeting, K. K. Ambikapathi, the AIADMK member representing ward 65, said that days after the DMK won the election, it had hiked the property taxes and increased the license and renewal fee for traders and businessmen in the city. The people had once again been burdened with the steep hike in power tariffs. It showed the DMK Government was not bothered about the people.
Other two members of the AIADMK, who came to the council wearing black badges, began raising their protest on the same issue.
Taking strong exception to Mr. Ambikapathi for raising the power tariff issue, which was not related to the council, T. Muthuselvam of the DMK representing 57, said that it was not the forum to raise the issue and it should not be allowed. Several other DMK members too objected to the AIADMK members for raising the irrelevant issue. Following this, the AIADMK members staged a walked out.
