The Hindu 01.12.2011
New Council proposes several new projects
Seeks grant, nod to raise loans to execute works
: The new council of Madurai Corporation, ruled by All
India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, has proposed to four-lane the Ring
Road connecting Madurai with Tirumangalam and lay the second Ring Road
connecting Madurai-Tiruchi highway with Madurai-Bangalore Highway near
Sholavandan.
The local body, led by Mayor, V.V. Rajan
Chellappa, sought the State Government clearance for the projects and
raise the required funds of Rs. 241 crore either as grants from the
State Government or through bonds or loan from any financial
institution.
The existing Ring Road required
four-laning considering the increased flow of vehicles on the 27.2
km-long two-way road. The new Ring Road would de-congest traffic in the
city.
The council also passed resolutions to shift
the vegetable and fruits market to 26.74 acre Mattuthavani (near the
integrated bus stand) as had been proposed by the Chief Minister,
Jayalalithaa, in 1994.
The Corporation also wanted
to take a re-look at the classification of city streets for fixing
property tax, set up three multi-level car-parking and a hi-tech
entertainment park for children with 4 D theatre and computer games.
The
council also sought Rs. 102.13 crore State Government grant for
implementing various projects under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban
Renewal Mission.
It also sought the Government’s
clearance to get Rs. 100 crore loan from HUDCO towards the Corporation’s
contribution to the mission.
Recruitment of 50 drivers through Employment Office on daily-wages basis was also unanimously passed.
The
first ordinary meeting of the council began on a protest note with the
Mayor making adverse remarks against the Union Minister, M.K. Alagiri,
while moving a resolution to thank the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa.
When
he recalled Ms. Jayalalithaa’s speech during local body election
campaign that those who claimed themselves as “person with brave heart”
had run away in fear, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam members, led by
their leader, M.L. Raj, objected to it.
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam councillors (85 of them in the 100-member council) shouted them down.
They were joined by those in visitors’ gallery, who also shouted slogans against Mr. Alagiri.
Later,
when the Mayor invited the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
leader, P. Salaimuthu, to speak on the thanks-giving resolution, the
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam members demanded that they should be first
allowed to speak as they were the Opposition party.
“We
have to go through the rules (of the Corporation) whether to recognise
you (DMK) as the opposition party. We will decide it in the next
meeting,” Mr. Rajan Chellappa said much to the dismay of the DMK men,
who staged a walkout.
The DMK councillors who entered the hall later sought permission to participate in the discussion.
The Mayor said that the DMK leader should have given the list of their councillors who would speak on subjects.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam men once again staged a walkout and this time they did not return.
Most
of the councillors found fault with the previous DMK regime for all the
problems of the city – fixation of property tax and underground
drainage charges, poor status of parks, stagnation of rainwater for
non-execution of stormwater drainage among others.
The
CPI (M) councillor, M. Chellam, wanted the Corporation to seek
additional funds from the State Revenues for the local bodies.
Many
councillors complained of poor roads and stagnation of rainwater
leading to mosquito menace. Seeing that only the senior councillors (who
are members of the council for second or third time) were only
participating in the discussion, the Mayor encouraged the new faces to
speak.
A very few women councillors spoke.
Earlier, the newly elected member from Ward 15, Jayalakshmi, took oath as a councillor.
All
the councillors and officials were introduced in the hall in the
presence of the Deputy Mayor, R. Gopalakrishnan, and Commissioner, S.
Natarajan.