Chikkaballapur ZP meet marred by walk-outs
Uproar at MV Krishnappa’s first general body meeting as president of Panchayat
M V Krishnappa had a virtually forgettable first general body meeting on Saturday since assuming charge as the president of the Zilla Panchayat.
Ruckus overshadowed debate as members expressed dissatisfaction regarding implementation and non-implementation of various projects, leading to verbal duels with
office-bearers and even books flying.
The meeting commenced on schedule at 11 am, presided over by Krishnappa. Legislator N H Shivashankar Reddy left after some time, and the discussion shifted to various issues at hand and the progress in each section. Officers from various departments provided information and reports and office-bearers instructed them to complete projects as soon as possible.
When the matter of construction of the hostel for pre-matriculation boys in M Nallagutlapalli in Bagepalli taluk was brought up, Harinath Reddy, a member, raised objection. “There is serious irregularity in the work. Also, the building is of substandard,” he alleged and said the work was incomplete in spite of providing funds from the Nirmithi Kendra and Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited.
“Repeated complaints with photographs to chief executive officer B S Shekharappa have not yielded results. No action has been taken against the officers concerned regarding substandard quality. The work too has not been stalled,” he said.
When asked about the matter, the officers concerned with the construction of the hostel said they had no information off-hand.
Infuriated, Reddy asked why the officers had attended the meeting without reports. He also questioned the sensibility of organising a meeting when there was incomplete information on projects.
N Manjula Venkatesh, president of the Health and Education Standing Committee of the Panchayat, too asked a similar question, but was silenced by the president. In a fit of anger, she threw the information book on the Committee at Krishnappa before walking out.
Several members tried to pacify Manjula and followed her out. A few minutes later, Krishnappa too walked out, followed by legislator N Sampangi and finally vice-president B Savithramma, all trying to bring peace.
It took the members more than half-an-hour to calm down and return to the auditorium to continue the meeting.
Arguing in Telugu is easier!
The members of Zilla Panchayat, during the verbal tussle at the meeting on Saturday, were found fighting with one another in Telugu. Although they started the arguments in Kannada, they found it easier to continue in Telugu, especially unable to find the ‘right words’ to argue in Kannada.
Zilla Panchayat president M V Krishnappa, however, continued to request the members to continue the conversation in the local language. But Narayanamma, a member, and N Manjula Venkatesh, president of the Health and Education Standing Committee, fought for more than five minutes incessantly in Telugu.
Both Krishnappa and the vice-president B Savithramma were forced to speak in Telugu in their attempt to pacify the fighting members. Finally, all members who walked out were heard muttering in Telugu.
