Monkey menace marred the debate at the corporation council meeting here on Monday with the Mayor Savitri Gopal and DMK members finding themselves engaged in a verbal duel.
Soon after the council convened, Sadasivam of the DMK complained of lack of civic amenities in his ward to which Ms. Savitri Gopal replied that the shortcomings would be addressed soon. Then the councillor mentioned that monkeys were rampaging in several residential areas of his ward and wanted the corporation to end the problem.
Ms. Savitri Gopal said that the corporation could not allot funds for solving the issue and that the councillor must take the lead in coordinating with the Forest Department to solve the tangle.
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Mr. Sadasivam said since monkeys spring from one area to another he alone could not do anything, adding how could the Mayor expect him to catch them.
Ms. Savitri Gopal retorted asking the DMK councillor not to speak like a joker.
The DMK member T.K.G. Neelamegam and others contested the Mayor’s remarks but she stood by her remarks stating that it was wrong on the part of the DMK member to have passed sarcastic remarks against the chair.
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Row over portrait
After trading of charges and counter charges, Mr. Neelamegam pointing to the picture of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on the wrapper of the corporation budget booklet, wondered whether it was an act by the corporation.
Ms. Savitri Gopalan stoutly defended the decision saying there was no wrong in that as she had contributed to the development of the city by implementing various welfare and development schemes.
The Mayor signed off the meeting stating that it was only during the AIADMK regime that Thanjavur moved along the development path and added the DMK never cared to develop the city when in power even as the DMK members staged a walk-out over the issue.