FOLLOW UP:DMK men ram through privatisation resolution

Published on 31/Oct/2009
By G Saravanan

Chennai, Oct 30:Despite stiff resistance from opposition parties, ruling DMK councilors succeeded in passing a resolution allowing total privatisation of maintenance of streetlights in Thiruvottiyur Municipality on Friday.

There were a few tense moments during the two-hour-long council meeting, where the DMK councilors tried to attack their AIADMK counterparts for speaking about corruption in the municipality in public and with the media.
Soon after the meeting began, AIADMK’s councilor M D Sekar, quoting an Express report, started arguing with the Municipal Commissioner S Kalaiselvan for supporting the DMK-led councilors’ vested interests and disastrous resolution to allow total privatisation in the civic body.
The chairman of the municipality, Jayaraman (CPI-M)m had rejected the resolution originally but the Commissioner brought it in for discussion utilising his executive powers.
Sekar was joined in by other AIADMK councilors who condemned the move by the Commissioner in support of DMK councilors. There was total chaos when the Kalaiselvan challenged them and also threatened that civic works would not be executed in their wards if they continued to create mayhem in the meeting.
It all started when Sekar openly asked the Commissioner to resign for large-scale irregularities in the municipal body. “If the allegations I have levelled against the civic body and you (Commissioner) are not proved I am ready to quit the post. Will you do the same if found guilty?” Sekar asked.
DMK councilors also tried to attack another AIADMK councilor Mani, when he raised the issue of step-motherly treatment to his ward for the past several months.
Later speaking to Express, Mani said, “When I asked the Commissioner to reply on the inordinate delay in taking up people’s welfare projects in my ward, he not only insulted me but also announced that not a single work would be sanctioned in my ward.”