Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Corporation councillors sworn in

Special Correspondent

A massive family event, the swearing-in turned out to be a celebration

COIMBATORE: Only the stature of the venue reminded everyone that it was an official function.

Otherwise, it had all the trappings of a massive family event.

The swearing-in of 72 councillors at the Coimbatore Corporation on Wednesday turned out to be a celebration despite the heavy police presence.

Officials stood at various points from the main gate to the Victoria Town Hall that housed the Council to welcome the present and former Members of Parliament and Assembly, former Mayors and party leaders, councillors and the media.

Corporation officials and staff received the councillors with bouquet as they reached the hall.

Councillors took oath one after the other as their friends and relatives watched it on closed-circuit televisions in shamianas put up for them at three locations close to the Council hall.

Corporation Commissioner P. Muthuveeran administered the oath to the councillors.

Former Mayor V. Gopalakrishnan, the Nilgiris MP, R. Prabhu, Coimbatore East MLA Pongalur N. Palanisamy, former Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MPs M. Ramanathan and K.R. Subbaiyan, former Coimbatore West MLA S. Maheshwari and former Coimbatore East MLA V.K. Lakshmanan were present. A mix of first-time, second-time and third-time councillors greeted each other irrespective of their party affiliations.

P. Painthamizh and V.N. Udayakumar of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) who were seated in the Council exchanged greetings with P. Rajkumar and R. Prabhakaran of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam as the two walked past the DMK members to take their seats in the last row.

The scene replicated across the Council and elsewhere on the Corporation premises after a bitterly fought local body elections.

Tough times ahead

Even as the joy of being elected or re-elected was the dominant emotion, councillors braced themselves for some tough times, especially an increasingly demanding electorate.

Many of them mentioned the provision of underground sewers and garbage disposal as the major task on hand to ensure sanitation all over the city.

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