JOIN USCMC members set month's deadline to solve civic woes
The meeting was convened in the wake of a protest staged recently by CMC members against the failure of the authorities concerned in providing drinking water, street lights and maintaining cleanliness in the City.
A number of CMC members gave vent to their ire at the meeting.
The angry members demanded that both the president and commissioner tender their resignations in case they failed to address the civic woes.
Even after an hour-and-a half after the meeting started, accusations and arguments continued unabated.
V K Rajesh, a member of Ward 2, demanded that mere listening to woes of various wards at emergency meetings and false assurances were not sufficient. Addressing problems at the earliest was the need of hour.
The atmosphere which was wife with arguments and counter arguments halted only after a month’s deadline was set to resolve the problems in plaguing the wards in the City.
Responding to the set deadline, CMC vice- president L Khaleel Khan said: “ Action can be initiated only after the severity of problems in each of the wards is studied. Hence a deadline cannot be set.”
“Even 15 months after assuming power, both the CMC president and Commissioner did not contact ward members to know the problems of their respective wards. If only they had dispensed their duties with honesty and efficiency, the protest would not have been staged on Thursday. How can the people carry out their daily work when water is supplied for a mere two hours?,” said Manjula.
Representatives of each and every ward were given time to highlight specific problems of their wards.
A number of members were absent at the emergency meeting. Only more than 27 members participated in the meeting.
Members blamed Allegation by CMC Commissioner R Shalini that a few members were obstructing her from carrying out her duties effectively created furore at the meeting.
Refuting the Commissioner’s allegation as baseless, Ahmed, a member of Ward 1, said: “More than a month has elapsed since the convening of the General Body meeting. The decisions taken at the meeting are yet to be implemented. Who is preventing the Commissioner from performing her duties?”
Responding to Ahmed, the Commissioner said that a few CMC members were obstructing revenue collection on behalf of the people. Moreover, a few of the CMC members made calls to the office and sought the deadline to be extended. Shortage of staff was also a hindrance in functioning effectively, she added.
Responding to that, a ward member Murali Gowda said instead of pressing the issue of staff shortage with the State government, it should not be quoted as a reason for inaction.
Vice president L Khaleel Khan urged the members not to pose a hurdle in revenue collection.
Verbal duel
A verbal duel ensued when Sallauddin, a ward member, asked the District incharge Minister R Varthur Prakash and Union Minister of State for Railways K H Muniyappa to attend the CMC meeting to get a first hand account of the state of affairs.
Criticising president Nazia for her indifferent attitude, he said that mere signing of records would not lead to growth and development in the City.