The Hindu : Front Page : Corporation Council to elect convener today

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Monday, Nov 21, 2005

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Corporation Council to elect convener today

Staff Reporter

For the first time, the Council will meet without a Mayor or Deputy Mayor in the chair

CHENNAI: Tension is likely to mount when the Corporation council meets on Monday, for it will be the first time without the presence of a Mayor or Deputy Mayor.

The meeting will be convened by a councillor, who will be elected by the council. As the ruling party has a majority, the elected convener will most likely to be from the AIADMK.

Ripon Buildings, the civic headquarters, will see a pressure cooker like atmosphere as some of the councillors argue that the meeting cannot be convened without a Mayor or a Deputy Mayor and are against the idea of a temporary head.

Some others want a no-confidence motion to be passed against Deputy Mayor Karate Thiagarajan, who has kept his whereabouts secret and not attended office for about two months.

However, all parties have decided to participate in the meeting, which has to be compulsorily held once in three months.

Pending matters

Chennai Corporation Commissioner M. P. Vijayakumar said that there were several pending matters to be discussed. "It is the meeting that is important. Councillors will elect the convener," he said.

One of the main issues that would provoke a heated discussion is the distribution of flood relief. Already there have been several agitations and road rokos by some people who were left out in the process and Opposition councillors want to make it an issue at the meeting. Additional security personnel would be posted in the Corporation premises as a precaution.

"The Corporation's flood relief operations were a complete failure," said Congress councillor Royapuram Mano. He said that Opposition councillors were also keen to discuss development works.Sources said that AIADMK councillor D. Vijayaramakrishnan (ward 92), who is also head of the finance committee, would probably be chosen as convener. AIADMK councillors held a meeting on Sunday to discuss the issue.

Mr. Vijayaramakrishnan said it was up to the councillors to decide on the convener. There were several subjects on the agenda including work on a bridge across the Buckingham canal to link MGR Nagar with Nehru Nagar in North Chennai. A committee to decide on retirement benefits for Corporation staff would be discussed, he said.

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