Urban News

The Hindu       13.08.2010

Chennai Corporation to discuss regularisation of services of staff

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: The Chennai Corporation has submitted before the Madras High Court that the matter relating to the request by 221 persons working in public conveniences in Chennai to regularise their services will be placed before the next council meeting for approval and, later, forwarded to the government for confirmation.

In view of the submission by the corporation counsel, a Division Bench, comprising Justices Elipe Dharma Rao and K.K. Sasidharan, directed the authorities to complete the exercise within eight weeks and posted the writ petition for hearing after eight weeks.

The United Labour Federation had prayed for a direction to the authorities to regularise the services of workers with payment of wages for the period they were denied work.

According to the petitioner, maintenance of public conveniences was given to Sulabh International without a tender. The agreement was subsequently cancelled. Persons working in the facility were working without any protection and had not been paid their wages.

They filed a writ petition in 1999. By an order dated April 27, 2007, the High Court issued a series of directions. As they were not complied with, the federation filed another application and the High Court, on November 6, 2007 recorded the Chennai Corporation's proposal.

Notwithstanding the directions and the verification of the identified workers, no payment had been made for the identified workers.

The petitioner contended that the workers had not received their salary from May 2007 and were not being given any work. The only way to secure the wages, employment and dignity of the workers involved was by directing the Chennai Corporation to absorb them and regularise their services.

The Hindu     12.08.2010

Bench quashes order of Corporation Commissioner

Mohamed Imranullah S.

MADURAI: The Madras High Court Bench here on Wednesday quashed an order passed by the Madurai Corporation Commissioner on July 21 refusing permission for All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) to use the Tamukkam Grounds here for conducting a party meeting between September 18 and 21.

Allowing a writ petition filed by Sellur K. Raju, Madurai Urban District Secretary of AIADMK, Justice M. Jeyapaul directed the corporation commissioner to grant permission after receiving Rs.63,371 which was originally deposited with the civic body on July 21 but refunded to the petitioner on the same day after the commissioner decided not to hire the grounds.

The judge agreed with the petitioner's counsel P.H. Pandian that his client would gain priority over any other person/organisation wanting to use the grounds because he was the first to pay the rental charges. The corporation too had received the money under a receipt on July 21 along with the

No Objection Certificates issued by the Collector, Police Commissioner and the Fire Department.

Mr. Justice Jeyapaul rejected the averments made in a counter affidavit filed on behalf of the Corporation that one of its clerks had received the money from the petitioner without being aware of the fact that the civic body itself had decided to organise a medical camp for its sanitary workers at the Tamukkam grounds between September 17 and 22.

In his affidavit, the petitioner claimed that he had fixed the dates for the meeting, to be presided over by his party general secretary Jayalalithaa and attended by leaders from southern districts, only after confirming the availability of the venue. However, the civic body made a flip flop at the last moment and rejected permission due to political pressure, he alleged.