Opposition councillors shouted slogans and walked out of the Kozhikode Municipal Corporation Council meeting on Saturday over the issue of repair of street lights in the city limits.
The councillors demanded an explanation from Mayor A.K. Premajam regarding her reported statement in the press on October 10 that the funds required for the repair of street lights had been remitted and the lights would be functional in two days.
But even two weeks after the statement was published in all major dailies, the repair work had not begun, the Opposition alleged, demanding the resignation of the Mayor.
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To this, Ms. Premajam replied that it was Chief Minister Oommen Chandy who should resign and not her. This resulted in the Opposition councillors shouting slogans and walking out of the Council meeting. They also conducted a protest rally inside the Corporation office.
The Council, however, passed a 107-point agenda, which included hike in charges for a multiplex, which would have led to some discussion if the Opposition had not created a chaos.
The Council also passed an adjournment motion by V.K. Mohandas demanding the repeal of doubling the water tax.
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In response
Speaking to reporters later in her chamber, the Mayor said she did not remember having made any statement regarding the repair of street lights in two days. She said the Kozhikode Corporation did not have any facility to repair street lights on its own and hence had depended on the KSEB.
Rs.35 lakh to KSEB
It had remitted Rs.35 lakh in the bank on October 10, but the money was converted into a demand draft only on October 25, and hence there was delay in payment of the money to the KSEB.
She said the Opposition had created a needless commotion in the meeting. They could have easily raised the issue in the form of a submission.
“But that they did not do so show that they had created the chaos intentionally with vested interests,” the Mayor alleged.
She said nobody was allowed to speak inside the Council without the Mayors’s prior permission and a request in writing.
Reacting to the Mayor’s allegation, Councillor P. Kishenchand said the issue could not be discussed through a submission, as there was a rule about not repeating submission on a particular subject within six months.
Opposition leader M.T. Padma said the issue was taken up because the Mayor’s statement on repair of street lights had led to manhandling of some councillors by local people. “People said we were incapable and hence street lights were not repaired in two days,” she said.