Tamil Nadu - Salem   

Councillors complain about maintenance of burial grounds

Photo: P. Goutham

Expressing their views: A section of the Salem Corporation councillors at the council meeting on Thursday. —

SALEM: The poor maintenance of burial grounds and burning ghats in the city came in for sharp criticism at the Salem Corporation council meeting held on Thursday. Councillors, cutting across party lines, accused the civic workers managing these places for collecting excess charges from the people for the funeral.

Raising this issue at the meeting, Leader of the Opposition G. Venkatachalam (AIADMK) charged that the burial ghats and burning grounds in the city were functioning in a pathetic condition.

They lack basic amenities including water supply provisions and other required facilities.

The civic body hardly undertakes maintenance works and the workers were collected exorbitant amount from the people.

Joining issue, many councillors including Leader of the ruling party P. Natesan (DMK), said the Corporation fixed Rs. 400 to Rs. 500 as the charges depending on the area for conducting funeral.

But the workers were collecting Rs.2,000 to Rs.3,000 from the people.

PMK Councillor Dhanasekaran wanted the civic body to evolve an appropriate mechanism to monitor and regulate the functioning of the workers at the burial grounds and burning ghats.

He also raised the issue of collection of excess charges at the vehicle stands.

Those who were given license to run the vehicle stands including those at the new integrated bus stand and old bus stand, were collecting Rs.5 per day for parking a motorcycle and Rs.3 for a bicycle.

Corporation Commissioner K.S. Palanisamy, in his reply, said that efforts would be made to improve all the burial grounds and burning ghats in the city and the collection of charges would be monitored closely.

Action would be taken against the licensees of vehicle stands, if they were found collecting excess charges.

Mr. Venkatachalam also criticised the civic administration for inordinate delay in the implementation of the under ground drainage project.

The issue of poor maintenance of street lights also took the centre stage during the council meeting.

Many councillors including the ruling party members claimed that the private firm, which bagged the contract for street light maintenance, was not attending to the faults quickly.

Workers of the firm are not even ready to listen to the complaints from the public and councillors, they alleged.

Congress Councillor Dharmalingam wanted the Corporation to remove encroachments at all the parts in the city.

Mayor J. Rekha Priyadarshini presided. Deputy Mayor C. Panneerselvam and senior officials were present at the meeting.

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