The Deccan Chronicle 29.09.2010
Civic body to open more English medium classesSept. 28: The Chennai corporation council on Tuesday witnessed debates on exorbitant parking fees collected in Chennai, monsoon preparedness, mosquito menace and bad roads.
Mayor M. Subramanian, who assured action on the specific complaints raised at the meeting, also announced that Chennai corporation would start English medium classes in 40 Chennai primary and middle schools.
Addressing reporters after the monthly council meet at Ripon Buildings, Mr Subramanian said, “On Vijayadasami day (Oct. 17), Chennai corporation would start English medium classes in 40 schools maintained by the civic body.”
In 2009, when the civic body launched English medium classes in 28 schools, there was a good a response from the public and hundreds of students enrolled for the English medium. And this April, the number of enrolments in such schools was about 1,300. Following the success of this experiment, 40 more schools will now have English medium classes, he said.
Mr Subramanian also announced that the corporation would start seven more dental clinics. At present, there are three dental clinics run by corporation and to meet the growing demand of the public and dental ailments, the corporation will open seven more dental clinics.
Earlier in the day, corporation opposition floor leader Saidai Ravi urged the civic body to take action against shopping malls and multiplexes that fleece the public through exorbitant parking charges. He also urged the top brass of the corporation to intensify the drive against the open space reserve lands. As the debate on providing swine flu vaccine to the public for free rages on in the state, Chennai corporation councillors got the protective jab at a special immunisation drive inaugurated by the Mayor at Ripon Buildings Tuesday.
And in another development, the state government transferred three top officials of the city corporation, including its commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni.
