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Saturday, Jul 28, 2007
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Online edition of India's National Newspaper Saturday, Jul 28, 2007 ePaper |
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Tamil Nadu
Special Correspondent
COIMBATORE: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) insisted at the Coimbatore Corporation Council meeting on Monday that the civic body should convene a special meeting of the Council to discuss the shortage of staff and the resultant delay in carrying out development works. Leader of the party and Corporation North Zone Chairman C. Padmanabhan assailed Mayor R. Venkatachalam for not convening a special meeting despite a request for it. “We submitted a petition signed by 18 councillors, asking for a special meeting. "We want it because the shortage of staff has affected all the services the Corporation is supposed to provide to the people,” Mr. Padmanabhan further said. The councillor rejected the Mayor’s explanation that the Corporation had told the Government of the shortage of staff and requested for filling up vacancies. Vacancies
“We have submitted a department-wise list of vacancies,” the Mayor said. But, even as his explanation reached half way, Mr. Padmanabhan cut him short saying that this had been said even before. “What we need now is a meeting to discuss a problem that has affected all parts of the city,” the councillor said. The Mayor must understand the gravity of the situation that was being conveyed through the demand for a special meeting, he said. In a tone expressing resentment, Mr. Padmanabhan said: “I could have sought these details by invoking the provisions of the Right to Information Act by paying just Rs.10 for the form. You would have had to provide all the details about the vacancies. But, we wanted to discuss in the Council the issue and the problems arising out of it in order to arrive at a solution soon.” Mr. Padmanabhan and his party colleague S. Velmurugan also criticised the Mayor for his reply to the request for the special meeting. “Someone who wants to bury the concept of Nagarpallika promoted by the late Rajiv Gandhi (former Prime Minister) has given such a reply,” he said. Mr. Padmanabhan wanted to convey that the reply from the Mayor sought to undermine the role of elected representatives in solving people’s problems. Mr. Velmurugan wanted to know from the Mayor whether there was no provision to hold such a meeting. If not, then why the hesitation to hold one, he asked. M. Kanakamani (CPI-M) said people were running from pillar to post to locate officers and other staff of the Corporation to set right problems in their locality. Such was the shortage of staff. The problem should be seen in the context of major infrastructure schemes that were to be implemented under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. Staff
When these would require additional staff, the vacancies itself were yet to be filled up, she said. CPI (M) member and Education Committee Chairman R. Kalyanasundaram and Ms. Kanakamani pointed out that without watchmen the Corporation schools were turning out to be a haunt of anti-social elements at night. “Teachers and students can enter classrooms in a school in Ward 9 only after liquor bottles are removed,” Mr. Kalyanasundaram alleged. Resolution
“Even five months after our committee passed a resolution to demand conservancy workers and watchmen, none of these has been provided for the schools,” he said. He wondered whether there was a conscious decision to ignore such resolutions. With Leader of the Opposition V.N. Udyakumar, Congress Floor Leader R.S. Thirumugham and Finance and Taxation Committee chairman A. Nandakumar opposing the demand for a special meeting, the Mayor ended the discussion by saying such a meeting could be held after a reply from the Government on filling up the vacancies was got.
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