TAMBARAM: Speakers at a seminar on Saturday urged women elected representatives of local bodies to break free from the shackles of control by their male relatives and be aware of their rights and duties so that they could function independently.

More than two-dozen women councillors from the Chennai Corporation, Municipalities and special village panchayats took part in the seminar on 'Empowerment of Women Councillors of Chennai Metropolitan Area' held at the Selaiyur Hall, Madras Christian College. The seminar was organised by the Department of Public Administration in association with the Rotary and Inner Wheel Clubs of Adyar.

K. Sumathy, advocate, stressed the importance of the women elected representatives knowing the basic provisions of the Constitution, particularly those pertaining to local self-governance. The women councillors should have a thorough knowledge of their wards and interact with all sections of the society: senior citizens, youth and students and professionals.

They should then list the needs and requirements in their wards, prioritise them and then place the demands in the local bodies. She said the women councillors' male colleagues and officials in the local bodies snubbed them and dismissed the demands raised by them. In order to prevent it, the women councillors should train themselves so that they have a sound technical knowledge of the plans and proposals they make in the elected bodies, Ms. Sumathy said. Many women councillors too agreed with the advocate. For instance, some of the women councillors of Tambaram Municipality echoed their views in the seminar, stating they did not enjoy the similar freedom when the meeting was convened. "We are voiced down and are never allowed to talk," one of the councillors said.

S. Dinakaran, Head, Department of Public Administration, Presidency College, Chennai called for the need to have `all-women village panchayats,' on the lines of the all-women police stations. "It is well known that wherever there are women elected representatives, corruption is nil," he remarked. Pointing out that constitution of such `all-women village panchayats' to start with would guarantee an all-round development in the locality, Mr. Dinakaran said awareness was the first step towards empowerment.

M. Suresh Babu, Head, Department of Public Administration, MCC, said the college had earlier conducted a two-day programme for women councillors to boost their awareness of their rights and functions.

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