Officials late for council meeting, yet again

The claims of the councillors of Belagavi City Corporation that they are concerned and committed to the city’s development do not reflect in their deeds, if their non-punctuality to important council meetings is any indication.

Councillors and legislators were late for a meeting for more than an hour. They arrived at 12.10 p.m. though the meeting was scheduled to start at 11 a.m. Since the elected members were late, so was the commissioner M.R. Kumar. The other officials and presspersons, however, were on time and occupied their seats before the scheduled time.

Kiran Saynak, who was to preside over his maiden meeting of the council as the mayor, was no different from his fellow councillors.

And, after the discussions on the woes due to bad underground drainage lines and the neglect of sanitation, it was a story by Mujamil Ahmad Iqbal Doni which left the house in splits.

The story went something like this: A king impressed by a court musician’s rendition of a song ordered his minister to give the artist silver. More impressed by another song, the king ordered to give him pearls and subsequently, gold and diamonds as the king was enthralled by musician’s melodious renditions.

After some weeks, the musician returned to the court and complained to the king that his orders were not implemented by his court officials.

Responding to the grievance, the king told the musician: “You have pleased my ears with your melodious singing and I have reciprocated it by announcing precious gifts and pleased your ears as well; then where is the question of giving and taking (of promised gifts)?”

“Thus, we have been discussing problems of the city every time we meet and I wish that the decision taken in this meeting should not turn into the story of the king and the court musician,” Mr.Doni said.