AIADMK Demands White Paper On JNNURM
AIADMK councillors staging a walkout from the Corporation council meeting on Monday. All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) councillors walked out of the Coimbatore Corporation Council meeting on Monday demanding a white paper on the status of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). The councillors alleged that the civic body had failed to ensure the Mission’s timely implementation. The meeting was presided by Mayor R. Venkatachalam. Deputy Mayor N. Karthik, Corporation Commissioner V.K. Shanmugam and officials were present. The walkout was in protest against what the councillors alleged lack of transparency in the implementation of JNNURM and the failure of the administration to keep the elected representatives informed about its status. They demanded a white paper on the project. AIADMK floor leader Rajkumar said the inordinate delay in the project citing procedural formalities had made the elected representatives unpopular among the public.
Even as 16 resolutions were tabled in the council, the zero hour witnessed heated arguments for nearly two-and-a-half hours with the Opposition leader V.N. Udayakumar (DMK), and the Communist Party of India members R. Kalyanasundaram and K. Purushottaman alleging that the authorities had violated court orders and Government Orders on Vacant Land Tax (VLT) collection. According to the orders, VLT should not be collected for more than six years, whereas the officials had collected it for many years. Mr. Udayakumar said people were planning to move court against the Corporation for contempt proceedings.
Mr. Udayakumar also said the Corporation was not effective enough in pre-empting litigations and in getting stay orders vacated. The issue came up when members cutting across political affiliations raised the issue of plastic manufacturers association obtaining a stay from the court on the imposition of ban on the use of plastics. To a query from Mr. Udayakumar on construction of an overhead tank at Ramanathapuram garbage yard to improve water supply situation in the eastern part of the city, Assistant Commissioner of East Zone Sugumar said detailed project reports had been prepared for the overhead tank and the second phase of the Pilloor drinking water supply scheme to ensure 24x7 water supply. Members cutting across political affiliations flayed the authorities for the delay in the implementation of the Solid Waste Management Scheme, Under Ground Drainage (UGD) scheme and water supply scheme.
Mr. Kalyanasundaram (CPI) sought an inquiry into the purchase of garbage push carts. He said the push carts were worth only Rs. 1,500 whereas the civic body had bought 1,700-odd push carts at the rate of Rs. 11,000 odd each, that too of inferior quality. Leader of the ruling party in the Corporation R.S. Thirumugam said the civic body should pass a resolution and write to the Government seeking powers for the local body to accord technical sanction rather than referring all schemes to Chennai as the process was consuming a lot of time. Mr. Thirumugam citing the impending north-east monsoon sought the authorities to expedite the work for desilting storm water drains so that flooding of roads could be prevented.
