The Hindu 08.05.2013
Municipal chief to demit office today
Congress-IUML pact on sharing of tenure
The confusion which has been brewing for over a month over the ‘sharing of administration’ of the municipality was brought to a close with the decision of municipal chairperson and Congress councillor M.C. Sreeja to step down on May 8.
At a press conference here on Tuesday, Ms. Sreeja said that by relinquishing her post on May 8, exactly two and a half years after she had assumed office on November 8, 2010, she was abiding by her party’s pact with the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) to share the five-year tenure.
Of late, there had been speculations within the IUML over the ‘delay’ in her resignation.
Ms. Sreeja said she had sought a one-month extension, till June, for the completion of projects that had been initiated during her term.
Major projects
The major projects were a housing complex for the Scheduled Caste community, the works on which were to be inaugurated by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on June 1; the works on Ayikkara fish market under the National Fisheries Development Board to be inaugurated by the Fisheries Minister on May 21; and the long-pending Anakkulam project which was included under the Sahasra Sarovar project to be inaugurated on May 15.
Delay
She added that the delay in resignation was also due to the absence of municipal secretary, to whom the resignation was to be submitted.
The post had been vacant for more than a month now. A new official was expected to assume office on May 8, she said.
At the press meet she listed the ‘achievements’ of her tenure, while also admitting to the administration’s failure in setting up garbage treatment plants.
However, she attributed it to technical issues.
At one point, Ms. Sreeja and C. Sameer, the vice-chairman and the IUML councillor, had decided on a specific date and time to resign.
This decision was later revoked and only the chairperson will step down on May 8. The IUML is likely to project Roshni Khalid and C. Zeenath as the candidates for the chair.
Ms. Sreeja said that there were no fissures in the United Democratic Front in the district, adding that she was only happy to relinquish the post.
