The Hindu : Karnataka / Mysore News : Mayor seeks five-year term in office

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Mysore

Mayor seeks five-year term in office

Staff Correspondent

Mayor's term restricted to a year only in Karnataka, Chandigarh Mayor's term restricted to a year only in Karnataka, Chandigarh

CORPORATION MATTERS: The Mayor, Dakshinamurthy, releasing a bi-monthly booklet on the activities of the Mysore City Corporation in Mysore on Monday. (From left) The Finance Committee Chairman, Prabhumurthy, and the Corporation Commissioner, A.B. Ibra him, are seen. — Photo: M.A. Sriram

MYSORE: Even though he expressed satisfaction over his accomplishments as Mayor during his year-long tenure, Dakshinamurthy made out a case for a five-year term for the first citizen of the city. His term comes to an end on June 30.

Addressing a press conference before bowing out of office, the Mayor came out with a detailed list of his achievements, which included starting work on the long-pending Makkaji Chowk Complex, widening of many roads in the city, and cancellation of a hefty interest on water bills.

However, he said that much more can be achieved if Mayors have a five-year tenure at their disposal. "One year is far too short for the incumbents to effectively discharge their functions or fulfil the aspirations of the people in a meaningful manner," he said.

At the recent All-India Mayor's Council meeting held in New Delhi, Mr. Dakshinamurthy said a resolution was passed and submitted to the Union Government asking it to take measures to ensure that the Mayor of a city is given a five-year term.

Direct election

"Nowhere in India, except for Karnataka and Chandigarh, is a Mayor's term restricted to a year. Most Mayors across the country are elected directly by the people and hold office for a five-year term," he said.

The council has submitted a representation to the Centre seeking necessary directions to the State Government to extend the Mayor's term to five years. "Even Maharashtra recently made changes to the law and provided a 30-month tenure to the Mayor," Mr. Dakshinamurthy said.

Mr. Dakshinamurthy did not give a direct reply when told that direct election of a Mayor may lead to the abolition of the practice of providing reservation for candidates from different castes and communities through rotation. Speaking about his tenure, Mr. Dakshinamurthy said that corporators belonging to different political parties extended their cooperation to his programmes.

Pig menace

However, the Mayor had a tough time explaining the corporation's inability in controlling the pig menace in the city. When Mr. Dakshinamurthy was reminded about his vow to remove stray pigs from the city, he confessed that the pig rearers were a powerful lobby. "Whenever the corporation plans a drive, the pig rearers are tipped off, making the task more difficult," Mr. Dakshinamurthy said. However, he hoped that his successor will be able to tackle the problem. Mr. Dakshinamurthy also released the first copy of a bi-monthly booklet on the corporation and its functions.

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