The Mayor was supposed to address a media conference on Tuesday and announce the opening of citizen service centres set up by the GHMC.

However, the information on the service centres was leaked to the media a day in advance, allegedly by officials.

On Tuesday, when GHMC officials including the commissioner, Mr Sameer Sharma, went to invite the Mayor to address a media conference, a visibly upset Ms Kartika Reddy retorted that there was little need to speak to the media as the information on citizen service centres had already been published.

“It is there in today’s newspapers,” she is reported to have told the GHMC chief.

Although the officials requested her to speak on other developmental issues like desilting of drains, urban housing for poor with JNNURM funds, remodelling and widening of nalas and about the standing committee elections, she refused to do so.

Subsequently, the GHMC commissioner addressed the mediapersons alone.

He said the civic body would launch a major drive to remove encroachments on storm water drains, within a week. He also touched upon issues such as desilting of drains, housing and standing committee elections.

The Mayor was not available for comment but the Officer on Special Duty to the Mayor, Mr Upender Reddy, confirmed that Ms Kartika Reddy refused to address the media on an issue that had already been published in all local newspapers.