The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Special Council meeting on June 22 to discuss projects

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Friday, Jun 15, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Special Council meeting on June 22 to discuss projects

Special Correspondent

Meeting convened following demands from councillors

Coimbatore: A special meeting of the Coimbatore Corporation Council will be held on June 22 to discuss the Rs.96-crore solid waste management scheme and the Rs.113-crore Pilloor Phase II drinking water scheme that are to be implemented under the Central Government’s infrastructure development programme – Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.

The meeting is primarily to discuss the waste management scheme in view of the opposition to the move of the Corporation to open up some areas for private party participation. Mayor R. Venkatachalam said that the meeting has been convened following persistent demands from councillors for an exclusive session on the waste management scheme. Though the conduct of the meeting has been decided, the Mayor wonders why such a special meeting should be held even after every aspect of the scheme had been explained at more than five meetings.

The Mayor, however, has made no direct mention of the demand for a special meeting by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India (CPI).

Their vociferous demand at the May 31 Council meeting for a special discussion was supported by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam , the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Statements released to the media by the leaders in the Council of the Communist parties and opinions expressed by the others seem to have put pressure on the Mayor and Commissioner P. Muthuveeran to convene a special meeting on the schemes, especially the one for waste management.

While Councillors C. Padmanabhan (CPI-M) and K. Purushotaman (CPI) wonder why the Corporation does not want to hold a meeting on the schemes in the Council, P. Rajkumar (AIADMK) had pointed out earlier that objections can by duly recorded only in the Council and not at hotels and auditoria where conventions of the Council cannot be applied.

Resentment

Though the Corporation has finally agreed to the convening of a special meeting in the Council, the Mayor conveys his resentment over the delay in implementing the scheme because the Opposition parties (barring the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) are still not convinced over some aspects of the project.

Mr. Venkatachalam says: “We have held many meetings, including video presentations on the scheme. One of the meetings was even held on the Corporation premises. What more should we do?”

The Mayor claims that the public are agitated over the delay in launching the scheme that has been cleared by the Central Government. The Government will also offer 50 per cent grant (of the project cost) when the Corporation demonstrates that the scheme is very much on. “People who speak to me complain that the scheme is not taking off and that it gets struck down by the clashes at the Council meetings,” he says.

Mr. Venkatachalam contends that people are willing to pay a garbage collection fee in exchange for clean environs. “I do not understand why then the scheme should get stuck in a tussle over the fee,” he asks.

Misgivings

The Corporation hopes to remove at the June 22 meeting some misgivings among the Opposition parties over the areas of waste management that offer scope for privatisation.

The parties apprehend financial burden on the public because of privatisation.

As for the water scheme, the Opposition parties insist on implementation by the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board, which is a State Government agency. They do not want any private firm to implement the scheme, fearing that water charges may be increased citing high operation and maintenance cost.

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