Purohit holds meeting with officials; DMK cadre show black flags

State Ministers from Tiruchi district did not attend public programmes

Cleanliness first: Governor Banwarilal Purohit clearing trash at central bus stand in Tiruchi on Wednesday.

Amidst a protest by DMK cadre, who waved black flags at him, Governor Banwarilal Purohit held a meeting with senior officials of Tiruchi district and discussed with them the progress made in various State and Central government schemes here on Wednesday.

Mr. Purohit held a meeting with the officials at the Circuit House soon after the convocation of Bharathidasan University got over. Collector K. Rajamani, Commissioner of Police A. Amalraj, Corporation Commissioner N. Ravichandran and heads of various departments attended the meeting.

A power point presentation, highlighting the progress of Centrally sponsored and State schemes, was made to him. Besides explaining the schemes in detail, Mr. Rajamani briefed the Governor on Swachh Bharath Mission initiatives in Tiruchi city and other parts of the district. Mr. Purohit asked the officials to expedite the schemes to ensure that the benefits reached the targeted groups.

Later in the afternoon, he flagged off a cleanliness drive by clearing garbage strewn at bus bays and on platforms at the central bus stand and interacted with sanitary workers to understand the solid waste management system. He also enquired with a few passengers about passenger amenities. The Governor then inspected a sanitary complex at the bus stand and distributed pamphlets on maintaining hygiene and sanitation to the passengers.

While administering a pledge on cleanliness, Mr. Purohit said every citizen must contribute to keeping their surroundings neat and clean. They should take part in Swachh Bharath Mission programmes, he added.

The Governor then visited an anganwadi at Periya Milaguparai and a night shelter for homeless people on Madurai Road.

Earlier in the day, the DMK cadre, led by former Minister and Tiruchi (South) district secretary K.N. Nehru, waved black flags to Mr. Purohit when he was proceeding to Bharathidasan University. Carrying placards, the cadre raised slogans against Mr. Purohit, protesting against him for conducting “review meetings” with officials.

Mr. Nehru said the Governor’s action was against the spirit of the federal setup and undermined the elected government and people’s representatives.

When Mr. Purohit went on with his schedule, State Ministers from the district, Vellamandi N. Natarajan and S. Valarmathi, were conspicuous by their absence in the public programmes.