"Lackadaisical approach" of officials resented in Tuticorin

An emergency municipal council meeting held here on Thursday witnessed an uproar as the councillors cutting across party lines sought explanations from the officials concerned for their "lackadaisical approach."

According to the councillors, tardy infrastructure development will boomerang on them when they face the mandate in the local body elections, which are round the corner. Anthony Grace, councillor of ward No. 6, walked into the well of the House and sought a clarification from the Municipal Commissioner on why the administration failed so far to establish 14 streetlights at Krishnarajapuram, even after the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board had given the green signal to the proposal many months ago.

The Commissioner K. Kanagaraj replied that the administration would send a revised estimate for the establishment of streetlights to the TNEB within a fortnight, to expedite the process.

Though not `convinced', Ms. Grace returned to her seat, owing to compulsions from her party (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) councillors. Pandemonium broke out again as the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam councillors protested Ms. Grace's remarks that the municipal officials "were working according to the whims and fancies of the DMK men."

Catherine of ward No. 24 and Ramalakshmi of ward No. 34 asked the Chairman Manoj Kumar to take steps on a war footing to clear the garbage piling up in their respective wards.

"The municipal health authorities were not listening to the pleas of the councillors for segregation of solid waste at ward-level," they said.

The Chairman directed the health officer to strengthen waste collection at primary-level. The attendance was thin as only 22 councillors turned up against the full strength of 51.

Source: The Hindu