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Municipal officials walk out of council meeting

Friday, 05 February 2010 05:08 administrator
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The Hindu 05.02.2010

Municipal officials walk out of council meeting

Staff Reporter

AIADMK member’s remark sparks protest

— Photo: G. Karthikeyan

Irked: R. Lakshmi, Municipal Commissioner, walking out of the municipal council meeting in Dindigul on Thursday.

DINDIGUL: For the first time, municipal officials, led by Commissioner R. Lakshmi, walked out of the council meeting here on Thursday protesting sarcastic remarks made by an AIADMK member.

Later, the officials staged a demonstration before the municipality condemning his remarks.

The Commissioner also announced that no official would take part in the council meeting in future, if the councillor concerned refused to tender an apology.

Earlier, Vice-Chairman V. Kalyanasundaram too staged a walk out condemning the failure of the Council to conduct the meeting properly. The meeting was presided over by Municipal Chairman R. Natarajan.

At the outset, AIADMK Councillors condemned the inordinate delay in commencing the meeting. The chairman narrated his critical condition and asked officials to proceed. But AIADMK members wanted to know the reason behind delay in the completion of the underground drainage project.

When Mr. Kalyanasundaram attempted to talk on a subject, the Chairman advised the announcer to read the subjects continuously. AIADMK councillor Ramu Thevar retorted: “Whether the council meeting will be conducted in a democratic way or not.”

In a fit of anger, the Vice-Chairman flayed that the council was not conducted properly and walked out of the hall along with CPI(M) councillor K. Mariammal.

A wordy duel between the AIADMK and DMK councillors rocked the hall. Brushing aside the chaotic situation, the Chairman resumed the discussion.

While making a series of corruption charges against the Municipality in connection with the laying of roads and UGD project, Mr. Thevar cautioned that the council would have to face the wrath of the people.

Another AIADMK councillor T. Jayabal wished to know whether the Chairman had powers to use the money allotted for one project for implementation of another project.

The Chairman replied that he had powers to use it if necessary.

Mr. Jayabal queried how the Council would sanction two schemes for laying a single road between Sri Vellai Vinayagar Temple and Periyar Statue. Mr. Thevar shouted that Council had been making blunders and officials were supporting it. “We will go for a CBI inquiry. At that time, officials will go to prison.”

Reacting strongly to his remarks, the Commissioner and all officials walked out of the Council meeting. She said that the Councillor should have sought proper explanation from me. But he did not. He must apologise for his unpalatable utterances.”

Last Updated on Friday, 05 February 2010 05:09
 

‘No smoking’ drive to be stepped up in city

Friday, 05 February 2010 04:56 administrator
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The Hindu 05.02.2010

‘No smoking’ drive to be stepped up in city

K.V. Prasad

COIMBATORE: The installation of signage with instructions to avoid smoking in public places will form a part of the efforts by the Coimbatore Corporation to step up its drive to turn the entire city into a ‘no smoking’ area.

“There will be 100 per cent coverage of all public places in terms of installing the signage. We are following the World Health Organisation guidelines to create a totally smoking-free city,” Corporation Commissioner Anshul Mishra says.

WHO mandates that there should not be even one instance of public smoking if the city has to be declared a smoking-free area. “When a survey is done, no case of public smoking should be found. And, no cigarette butt should be found on roads or other public places during the conservancy operations in the morning,” the Commissioner explains.

The cigarette butts will be evidence of people smoking at night in public places, suggesting some inadequacy in the enforcement.

Four special squads of the Corporation are on a continuous monitoring. “We hope to achieve 100 per cent success in one of two months,” says Mr. Mishra. Commercial complexes will have to explore the option of providing exclusive rooms for compulsive smokers in order to eliminate passive smoking.

Assistant City Health Officer R. Sumathi says the Corporation is so focussed on this drive that it has even uploaded on the Department of Public Health website the details of the crackdown on smoking in public places in the city. This is to assess the progress of the drive periodically.

Last Updated on Friday, 05 February 2010 05:01
 

Madurai Corporation’s penal action pays off

Thursday, 04 February 2010 05:11 administrator
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The Hindu 04.02.2010

Madurai Corporation’s penal action pays off

Staff Reporter

Officials collect Rs.2.21 cr. from tax defaulters in three days

— Photo: K. Ganesan.

NO OTHER GO: Underground drainage connections snapped at some commercial establishments for non-payment of property tax in the city on Wednesday.

MADURAI: Madurai Corporation’s penal action of disconnecting drinking water and underground drainage connections to tax defaulters has started paying off. The local body officials have collected Rs. 2.21 crore in the last three days.

The Assistant Commissioner (Revenue), R. Baskaran, said that the corporation had to collect around Rs. 100-crore arrears under various heads, including property tax, water chargers, underground drainage charges and rent for shops in shopping complex and vegetable markets.

He said the collection each day collection was between Rs. 65 lakh to Rs. 80 lakh in the last three days.

The action would continue in order to achieve over 90 per cent collection of all tax and charges for the fiscal.

Truck operators have agreed to shift their operation to the truck terminal constructed at Mattuthavani, Kochadai and Avaniapuram.

In a statement, the Corporation Commissioner, S. Sebastine, said that even omni-bus operators had expressed their willingness to shift their offices and vehicles to Mattuthavani truck terminal.

During the discussion with Corporation officials, representatives of omni-bus and truck operators sought the local body to fix a nominal rent and deposit amount to set up their offices at the terminals. The rent and deposit amount would be fixed after another round of discussion.

The Chief Engineer, K. Sakthivel, Assistant Commissioner (Revenue) R. Baskaran, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Magudapathi, were among those who were present.

Last Updated on Thursday, 04 February 2010 05:12
 
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