The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Kalamassery civic chief keeps critics guessing

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 14, 2004

Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

Kalamassery civic chief keeps critics guessing

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI, SEPT. 13. The Chairman of the Kalamassery Municipality, Jamal Manakkadan, who has been asked by the Congress to resign from his post by October 4, has kept his detractors guessing. He said he was yet to take delivery of the letter, asking for his resignation, from Mullappally Ramachandran, general secretary of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC).

Mr. Manakkadan said on Monday afternoon that he was yet to take delivery of a registered letter that was sent to him by Mr. Ramachandran.

Manakkadan's stand

He had expressed his willingness to resign from the post provided his successor was chosen by a majority of the Congress Parliamentary Party in the Municipal Council.

Even as Mr. Manakkadan kept his critics guessing, one of the councillors said that if the former did not quit in accordance with the order of the top leadership, he would be ousted from the party.

The KPCC intervened in the matter as the District Congress Committee's efforts to persuade him to resign over the last two months had failed.

Mr. Manakkadan reportedly did not listen to his party counsels and also refused to obey the orders of the District Congress Committee president, K. P. Dhanapalan.

According to an agreement among the ruling councillors in the Kalamassery municipality, M.B. Prakash, chairman of the Standing Committee on Development, was to have succeeded Mr. Manakkadan in July.

Reacting to statements from the Municipal Chairman, one of the councillors said that there was no need to convene a meeting of the Party's Parliamentary Party in the Council to choose a new Chairman.

Ward sabhas

The Council of the municipality, which met today, discussed the issue of convening a complete ward sabha immediately in view of an order from the Department of Local Administration. The formation of a model ward sabha as well as the constitution of a team of leaders dominated the discussions of the Council on Monday.

Training programme

A training programme will be held on September 18 for representatives from various wards in connection with the convening of a complete ward sabha.

One of the councillors said that the new order had come in the wake of widespread complaints that the ward sabhas under the local bodies were not functioning properly.

As of now, the ward sabhas meetings had a poor attendance, but according to the new order, at least 80 per cent of the people in a ward should attend the meetings.

The Kalamassery Municipality has 33 wards. The model ward sabha meeting would be held in ward No. 9, represented by I.M. Abdul Rehman.

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