Chennai: The
corporation’s council meet on Friday had the usual scenes of walkouts
and mocking replies apart from discussions on civic issues.

The
council passed 78 resolutions by the end, in­cluding resolutions on
procurement of eight li­ght motorised vehicles to catch cattle and
imposing company tax in ext­ended areas. The vehicles will be equipped
wi­th hydraulic lifts to help lift cattle and load them into the vehicle
with ease.

“The corporation needs to monitor the health of cows
before and after ta­king them to the Blue Cross,” said DMK councilor V.
Vasu. In another resolution, the corporation imposed the paym­e­nt of
company tax in the extended regions of Ch­e­nnai. “The imposition of
company tax will not affect the lower middle class or the poor community
as the tax is applicable only to companies,” mayor Saidai S.
Dura­is­amy said.

But political drama took the lead earlier in the
day when the mayor charged DMK members for encroaching upon the OSR
(open space reservation) land in the DMK headquarters — Anna Arivalayam.

Replying
to councilor Arumugam on the OSR land at the Anna Ariv­a­layam, the
mayor said, “Around 57 OSR lands have been obtained by the civic body
from 2006 to 2007. But the land before the DMK headquarters has not been
handed over through any documents to the corporation and the party has
misused its power.”

Annoyed by the ma­y­or’s comment, DMK
cou­nc­illors staged a walk­o­ut only to return to th­eir seats a few
minutes later. “The allegations ma­de by the mayor about the OSR land is
fabricated,” said DMK floor lea­der S.C. Bose. “While there are plenty
of civic issues to be addr­essed by the city corporation, the ma­yor is
diverting the council by playing politics,” he added.