Latest news with #CorporationCouncil
The Hindu
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Karaikudi Corporation Commissioner directed to convene special meeting
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed the Karaikudi Corporation Commissioner to convene a special meeting of the Corporation Council to consider a motion of no confidence against Mayor S. Muthudurai of DMK. The court was hearing a petition filed by AIADMK Councillor V. Ramkumar (Ward 22) of Karaikudi. The petitioner said the Karaikudi Corporation consisted of 36 wards. Out of the 36 councillors, one had resigned. Now, there were 35 councillors in the sanctioned strength. Under these circumstances, a total of 23 councillors had expressed lack of confidence in the current Mayor due to administrative inefficiency, public dissatisfaction and failure to discharge duties. The petitioner said that he and 22 other councillors made a representation for initiating a no confidence motion against the Mayor. Despite the valid representation with the required quorum of councillors as per the statute, no action was taken by authorities concerned to convene a special meeting or process the same. The inaction of the authorities in not convening the meeting even after receiving a valid representation supported by more than the required number of elected councillors was arbitrary and unreasonable, the petitioner said, adding that it was violative of the mandatory procedure laid down under the Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies Act and Rules. He sought a direction to the Karaikudi Corporation Commissioner to convene a special meeting of the Corporation Council to consider a no confidence motion against the Mayor based on the representation made in accordance with Section 51 of the Act read/with Rule 161 (3) of the Rules. Justice C. Saravanan directed the Karaikudi Corporation Commissioner to convene the special meeting as per the Act and the Rules. and disposed of the petition. AIADMK functionaries headed by MLA P.R. Senthilnathan staged a protest outside the Karaikudi Corporation Office demanding the removal of Mayor S. Muthudurai of DMK.
The Hindu
30-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Scheme to introduce 24-hour water supply is on, says Tiruchi Mayor
Mayor M. Anbazhagan on Monday refuted recent criticism by AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami and asserted that there was no delay in the execution of projects by the Corporation. Mr. Anbazhagan told the Corporation Council that plans were in place to roll out 24-hour drinking water supply in select parts of the city within a month. 'Efforts are under way to ensure uninterrupted water supply to city residents,' said Mr. Anbazhagan. According to Corporation sources, the 24-hour water supply scheme under the AMRUT 2.0 initiative will be implemented in Ward Nos. 51 to 56 and later expanded to other wards. Responding to the AIADMK's call for a protest on July 3 over alleged delays in civic projects, Mr. Anbazhagan dismissed the claims and said: 'There are challenges related to tendering for shops in Panjapur, among others, but all work will be completed within a month's time.' He said the overbridge near Tiruchi Junction would be ready soon. The delay in the construction of an overbridge near the Fort Railway Station was due to the railways and not the Corporation, he said and urged Mr. Palaniswami to instead take up the matter with the Centre. Based on police department recommendations, repair work on Palakkarai and Thennur Road overbridges would be taken up after completion of the work near Fort Station on Salai Road to avoid traffic disruption. Mr. Anbazhagan said: 'During the AIADMK's tenure, there was no significant progress in underground drainage (UGD) work. It was under the DMK government that substantial UGD work was undertaken and ₹600 crore was allocated to restore roads damaged during the laying of UGD lines. The previous government stopped with mere announcements without allocating the necessary funds.' V. Jawahar (Congress) urged the civic body to build a dedicated toilet complex with bathing facilities for women near the Srirangam temple. S. Suresh (CPI-M) alleged that despite an increase in budget allocations for sanitation contractors, sweepers continue to receive outdated wages. He called upon the Corporation to adhere to the district administration's revised pay structure of ₹717 a day as against the current ₹570. K. Suresh (CPI) sought urgent modernisation of micro composting centres in the Corporation limits noting that workers continue to be exposed to hazardous conditions. S. Muthukumar (MDMK) raised concerns over possible flooding in Azhagiripuram when water was released in the Kollidam. He urged the construction of a retaining wall to safeguard the settlement. Several councillors raised complaints about the increasing stray dog menace noting the deteriorating health of many animals. The Mayor said the Corporation was in talks with Blue Cross and planned to allocate half an acre of land for a facility to shelter diseased or stray animals.
The Hindu
24-06-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Rectify mistakes in implementation of AMRUT scheme, say councillors
Demands to rectify mistakes pertaining to implementation of AMRUT scheme and proper utilisation of contract company and conservancy workers topped the discussion during the Corporation Council meeting held here on Tuesday. A. Saravana Bhuvaneswari, Zone-2 chairperson, speaking at the meeting, said that the pipeline installation works under the AMRUT scheme had been pending for several months. 'When enquired with the officials about the status of the project, they pointed out a delay in the approval from the government. When a meeting was held to review the works under the scheme and necessary instructions were given, why there was a delay,' she asked. 'Dengue breeding checkers (DBC) though being recorded to be working can nowhere be found in the wards,' she added. Responding to her claims, the City Health Officer said that a total of 530 DBC workers, 110 workers per zone, were working. 'As and when an area requires fogging or other works related to contain the spread of mosquitoes, the workers were being utilised,' the official added. J. Manickam, ward 24 councillor, questioned the rationale behind including permanent corporation workers in sanitation works assigned by the contract company 'Our land.' 'When more than 600 contract workers are employed under the company in all the 100 zones, a total of about ₹100 crore is being allotted every month to pay them,' he added. As the contract for sanitation works has been assigned to them, why should the permanent workers be involved in the same works, he asked. Mr. Manickam said those permanent workers could be appointed to other jobs like school maintenance, security guards, operators, among others. 'There is no logic in paying crores of rupees to a company and again using corporation workers for the same works,' he added. V. Suvitha, zone 5 chairperson, sought compact bins in the areas surrounding Tirupparankundram area as more tourists and devotees visit the temple. 'Due to unavailability of bins, garbage dumps were formed on roadsides and residential areas,' she added. Also, she requested to provide a corporation building for shifting a library operating already in another building. 'As more books are added to the library, the readership has increased. So, to expand it, a building by the corporation could help them,' she added. Raising the issue of removal of eateries along the bypass road and providing livelihood to those people, many council members noted that they should be assisted by the corporation in finding an alternative location. Some raised queries on the carts provided by the corporation. Corporation Commissioner Chitra Vijayan said those with movable carts would not have a problem. 'Only those who had fixed shops on the roadsides were removed from there. As the road is administered by National Highways, the encroachment removal drive was based on their request,' she noted. But an alternative location near the bypass road could be found for them to set up their eateries, Ms. Vijayan added. S. Baskaran, ward 52 councillor, complained to the officials for not rectifying the broken pipes on South Masi Street. 'It has been more than a year since he raised the complaint, but no action has been taken. Due to the issue, sludge water gets mixed with the drinking water,' he added. He also requested the Commissioner to set up a feeding room in the area around Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple. Ms. Vijayan said that if the temple authorities granted permission, they would find out ways to set up a feeding room. As ward 71 councillor V. Muniyandi sought perusal and implementation of the government order mandating to change the street names with caste identification, commotion was witnessed in the hall as council members demanded the cancellation of the GO. Mr. Muniyandi asked when the caste identities known to be identifying Scheduled Caste people were to be removed then what about the streets with names affixed with surnames identifying caste Hindu communities. Opposing his view on the matter, a few council members asked him not to demand removal of those names as they were their original names and not an identification given to them.
The Hindu
10-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Distribution of 56 kiosks marks first phase of roadside vendors' rehabilitation
The Kochi Corporation has initiated the rehabilitation of roadside vendors, starting with the distribution of kiosks to 56 vendors in Fort Kochi as part of the first phase on Tuesday (June 10). The move was in keeping with the provisions of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014. Cochin Smart Mission Limited designed and built the kiosks. In the next phase, roadside vendors will be moved into dedicated vending zones. No vendor will be allowed space beyond 25 sq ft. Vending hindering the movement of pedestrians will not be allowed, nor will they be permitted to expand the vending space by drawing overhead sheets, said Mayor M. Anilkumar. An effective rehabilitation plan will be drawn up. Even smaller kiosks are being prepared at select locations. Vendors will be responsible for the treatment of waste that their units generate. Encroachment on roads will not be allowed. The Corporation Council has taken all necessary measures for a more beautiful Kochi. The Act, among other things, has provisions for issuing identity cards to vendors, their registration, and the identification of vending zones. The town vending committee played a critical role in the rehabilitation of roadside vendors. The Corporation has identified 2,351 vendors through a survey conducted with the help of various agencies. So far, 69 vending zones have been recognised. Nine representatives have been elected from among the recognised roadside vendors. Mr. Anilkumar hailed the cooperation extended by various trade unions to the endeavour. According to the Act, municipal corporations are required to draw up separate vending by-laws. Councillors P.S. Viju, Priya Prashanth, Antony Kureethara, and V.K. Minimol were entrusted with preparing the by-law. The draft by-law was approved by the vending committee and the Corporation Council and submitted to the State government, which approved it on October 9, 2023. The government approved the vending plan on June 27, 2024. Mr. Anilkumar said the Corporation was the first civic body in the State to prepare a vending by-law and vending plan and identify separate vending zones. 'The by-law prepared by us now serves as a guide for other corporations,' he said in his inaugural address after distributing the vending kiosks. Deputy Mayor K.A. Ansiya presided over.
The Hindu
04-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Residents in some parts oppose Corporation's new vending zones
Residents in several zones of the Greater Chennai Corporation have started objecting to the first list of vending zones approved by the Corporation Council last week. Anna Nagar West Extension resident R. Kamaraj says that the residents have opposed the decision to create a vending zone on East Main Road of Anna Nagar West Extension. 'The Corporation has already erected a board informing that the road is a vending zone. We have objected. Once permitted, vendors will encroach on more road space. Garbage will accumulate in our area. Half of the road will be encroached upon by vendors. Residents will lose their rights. Students of four schools take this route, and it will become unsafe for them. We request the Corporation to remove the board immediately,' he demands. 'Prevent notification' Ranganathan Garden resident Sridhar has demanded that the ward councillor prevent the notification of Fifteenth Main Road as a vending zone. 'There is a Siva temple in the locality. We do not want vending zones on the stretch that has been peaceful and calm,' he says. After the resolution was passed by the Corporation Council, the civic body has not sent the proposal to the Tamil Nadu government for gazette notification of the vending and non-vending zones. Once the list of vending and non-vending zones is notified by the government, the civic body will allocate space for vendors. The Corporation has started receiving letters from residents' associations, objecting to the list of vending zones in many areas. 'The town vending committee will consider the objections and make a decision. We will remove the roads from the list of vending zones if the residents object,' says an official of the Corporation. The Corporation's designation of 150 vending and 188 non-vending zones, a year after its vending committee was constituted, has drawn criticism for lack of clarity in the zoning norms, interference of political party members, and delays in issuing corrected identity cards to vendors. 'No clarity on unlisted areas' Sandhya Vedullapalli, a civic activist, says that the vending zone list lacks clarity on unlisted areas. Further, in Ward 103, designated vending streets appear insufficient for Anna Nagar's vendors, raising the question whether the process aligns with guidelines under the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, she says. G. Selva of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) points out that in 2021, more than 900 vending zones were identified, but now it is 150. 'In the name of organising, vending zones must not be reduced. Small vendors provide low-income individuals with increased purchasing power, playing a vital role in driving the economic growth. Regional and sub-vending committees must be formed to check on issues related to vending.' Gopalakannan, a vendor on Anna Salai, received a text message that read: 'The Greater Chennai Corporation has requested that street vendors who require any correction in the details on the identity card issued to them take a copy of the issued identity card, mark the required corrections on it, sign it, and submit it along with supporting documents at the respective zonal or divisional office during the special camp to be held from October 19 to 23, 2024.' 'No new cards yet' 'Many submitted the copies for corrections. But I have not received any update on new cards. When we made enquiries, Corporation officials said the cards had not been printed yet,' Gopalakannan adds. S. Kumar, a vendor for 24 years, says the zonal officials have been saying for three months that new cards will be issued in May at the Royapuram Zonal Office. 'Those who were issued new cards were instructed to hand over their old cards. If we received new cards, why would we still have the old ones? We were not informed of the new rules. We continue to use plastic for distributing beverages. The wastewater is discarded down the drain through silt traps,' he says. Some vendors say that moving to another location would be tough as there may be competition and lack of space. P. Karunanidhi, general secretary of the Chennai Street Vendors' Association and a member of the Corporation's vending committee, acknowledges that there is lack of clarity in the norms. Political interference 'The vending committee and the Corporation have the powers with regard to vending zones and the number of permissible traders who can be issued identity cards. But some councillors and ruling party members interfere in these matters. When higher authorities were informed, instead of rectifying the issues, they asked us to coordinate with the politicians,' another vendor claims. Denying these allegations, an official of the Corporation's Revenue and Finance Department says that more than 32,000 cards were issued at camps held in February. 'There were roughly 2,500 vendors who requested for changes in the name, the address, and the date of birth in the cards. The changes were made and new cards were issued,' he says. The Corporation has proposed regional committees for vending and sent the proposal to the government. Once the government approves it, the civic body will start regularising the operations of the vending and non-vending zones and monitor them, the official says.
