The Kozhikode City Corporation Council meeting, on Thursday, witnessed unruly scenes over a recommendation to allot bar licences to two city hotels.

The Opposition vehemently opposed a point in the agenda for the day wherein the health standing committee had recommended to the council to provide ‘No Objection Certificate’ (NOC) for the licence. The Opposition members crowded around the Mayor’s dais, shouted slogans, and tore up the printed agenda. They alleged that the ruling front councillors had a hidden agenda in giving the NOC and charged the Mayor and councillors of corruption. They walked out shouting that the Mayor should resign. The Mayor declared that the agenda had been postponed and adjourned the meeting.

When the NOC issue was introduced, C.P. Salim of Congress declared that the Opposition was against it. As Opposition leader M.T. Padma started to speak, protestors began shouting slogans from the visitors’ gallery. Heated arguments were submerged by shouts and slogans and the council dispersed without passing the remaining points in the agenda.

The Kerala Madya Nirodhana Samithi, Welfare Party, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishath (ABVP), and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) activists took out a protest march to the Corporation on the issue ahead of the council meeting.

Mayor’s version

Later, speaking to reporters in her chamber, Mayor A.K. Premajam said that the health standing committee that consisted of five members from the ruling front and four from the Opposition had unanimously given approval to the two applications for NOC after inspecting the hotels. The members of the Opposition who had not objected then were now protesting with the sole aim of creating confusion. “They did not even give me a chance to speak. They wanted me to reject the suggestion completely. How can I do that without discussion? Hence I postponed it,” she said.

In another press meet, Ms. Padma said that it was the duty of the council to correct the mistakes of the standing committees.

“The standing committee’s role was only to check if there were any legal grounds to deny the NOC, which were nil. But it is up to the council to decide whether to provide the NOC on moral grounds,” said councillor Mohammed Ali of IUML.

“The Mayor denied the council a chance to discuss the issue. We wanted to discuss and put it to vote,” said P. Kishenchand of Socialist Janata (Democratic), also a member of the health standing committee. Mr. Ali said a section of the ruling councillors was ready to vote against the agenda.

Earlier, the council meeting began by unanimously passing an emergency resolution mooted by M. Radhakrishnan of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and M.T. Padma of the Congress to express the council’s protest against the Railway Budget which had “neglected the State, and especially Malabar. The calling attention session too went off peacefully. A few items in the agenda invited opposition and were postponed for discussion before the controversial item was introduced.