The Hindu 24.03.2010
MUDA chairman clarifies absence
Special Correspondent
| Manivannan says it was not deliberate |
MLAs and MLCs had walked out of Saturday's meeting
‘Meetings will be fixed only after consulting members'
MYSORE: Deputy Commissioner and Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) chairman P. Manivannan has expressed surprise that no business was conducted at the budget meeting on Saturday, which was boycotted by elected representatives.
Local MLAs and MLCs, who are the members of the MUDA, walked out of the meeting upset over the Mr. Manivannan's absence.
Prior intimation
Mr. Manivannan said that it was a myth that he had deliberately not attended the meeting and expressed a wish to clear the air. Mr. Manivannan said that he had informed MUDA Commissioner P.C. Jayanna of the meeting in Bangalore three days prior to the budget meeting and sought his advice on the matter. He said that the Commissioner had maintained that it would be inappropriate to postpone the budget meeting and had cited two other occasions when the meeting had taken place in the Chairman's absence.
Mr. Manivannan said that he had directed Mr. Jayanna to ensure that in future MUDA meetings were fixed only after consulting all the members.
He also said that in the event of an unscheduled or important assignment forcing the Chairman to absent himself from the meeting, the Commissioner would invoke Section 8 (3) of the Karnataka Urban Development Authorities Act of 1987, and hold the meeting under the chairmanship of one of the members.
