The Hindu 29.10.2010
Heated debate at Salem council meeting over poor sanitation
Special Correspondent
SALEM: Poor sanitation and land grabbing were the issues that invited
a heated debate at the Salem Corporation’s Council meeting on Thursday.
The councillors beyond party lines showed a rare solidarity charging
that the private firm SRP, which has been employed by the civic body to
outsource the garbage removal and drainage cleaning in 22 wards, had not
done satisfactory work. “The Corporation should stop payment this month
for the firm, which has not employed adequate staff to clean the
garbage. Garbage heaps could be seen everywhere and the drainage
cleaning, is very tardy,” Division Chairmen Asokan and Natesan, both
belonging to DMK, claimed. Congress Councillor Jayaprakash pointed out
that a portion of the land of the Corporation had been encroached upon
in ward 9. He further claimed that the current value of the land was
estimated to be around Rs. 9 crore. A few other councillors also
endorsed his view by saying that many big business houses, hotels and
others had illegally occupied Corporation lands at various places in the
city.
They urged the Council to immediately take necessary action to retrieve these lands from these powerful few.
Dharmalingam from Congress accused the Health Department of the
Corporation of inaction, which, he said, had led to serious erosion in
the overall sanitary condition of the city.
The stray dogs and pigs had been roaming the streets with impudence
while the Corporation authorities claimed that they had been taking
steps to control them.
He also pointed out that in his ward the maternity home was kept
under lock for a long time and the staff also had been transferred to
other places.