The Hindu 18.12.2009
Series of walk-outs mar municipal council meeting
Staff Reporter
| Adjourned without passing any resolution for the first time |
— Photo: T. Singaravelou 
Noisy meet: Councillors arguing with Chairperson of Puducherry Municipality B. Sridevi at the council meeting in Puducherry on Thursday.
PUDUCHERRY: The 24th council meeting of the Puducherry Municipality on Thursday was adjourned after majority of its 42 councillors belonging to the Congress and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) staged a walk out.
The near empty council meeting, except for seven members including of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and Communist Party of India (CPI), did not pass any of the listed 84 resolutions.
This was the first time a council meeting was adjourned without passing even a single resolution since the present council took charge nearly three-and-a-half-years ago, a senior official of the municipality said.
Noisy scenes and a series of walk-outs marred the council meeting from the start after councillors of the Congress objected to references made by AIADMK members on allotting office space for Union Minister of State V. Narayanasamy at the municipality-owned Kamban Kalaiarangam. The issue of allotting the space to the Union Minister was raised by CPI councillor.
Congress and DMK councillors staged a walk-out and refused to return to the meeting. Chairperson of the municipality B. Sridevi, after initially suspending the meeting for 15 minutes, adjourned it as the councillors did not return.
Earlier, the councillors raised objection to permitting exhibitions at Gandhi Thidal, despite the council passing a resolution against this in a previous meeting.
Stray dog menace created a furore in the council meeting with councillors cutting across party lines complaining about it in several areas and lack of control measures.
Commissioner of the municipality D. Asokan said there was no proper manpower to catch stray dogs for carrying out Animal Birth Control measures.
Lack of mosquito control measures including fogging also led to some noisy scenes.
Workers salary
Councillors demanded timely disbursal of salary to workers involved in garbage collection.
To this, Mr.Asokan said the Government Order has been passed for payment of salary to the workers.
Salary for the last seven months will be paid by December 24, he assured.
Minutes after the council meeting began Congress councillors staged a walk out condemning the chairperson’s remarks about Local Administration Minister. Later, AIADMK councillors walked out saying that the council meet was conducted in an improper manner.
