Water shortage makes a splash at MCC

Meeting scheduled to discuss the issue

With summer around the corner, corporators are a worried lot as people in several areas are taking to the streets demanding water.

The shortage of water caused a furore at a meeting held at the Mysore City Corporation here on Monday, with corporators wearing black bands and staging a protest inside the council hall.

The protest continued for more than half-an-hour with corporators Kempanna, Shankar, Parthasarathy and others cutting across party lines taking the mayor to task for failing to deal with the issue. The shortage of water gained maximum attention at the meeting, which was convened to nominate a corporator to MUDA.

Special meeting

An announcement by the mayor Pushpalatha Chikkanna stating that a meeting to specifically discuss shortage of water would be held on February 14 at 3 pm failed to convince the aggrieved corporators. 

The mayor also said that commissioner K S Raykar and other officials of Vani Vilas Water Works and JUSCO would be present at the meeting.

MLC Thontadarya and MLA Tanveer Sait echoed the statements made by the corporators, urging the mayor to convene a meeting and resolve the issue.

Corporator’s woes

Corporator Sunanda Palanethra vented her ire against the mayor and also against officials for failing to provide water in her ward.

“People in the ward are coming after us... I even got hurt during a scuffle with the people, who were demanding water. If anybody attacks us, will the corporation give us security? she questioned the mayor. Continuing her tirade, she said, “Every time we come to the council meeting, discussion on the water issue is postponed.” 

Asking the mayor to immediately allot two water tankers for her ward, she said, “If such torture continues, then we’ll have to commit suicide.”

Secret sharing

Even as the agitated councillors were expressing their frustration, corporator Devaraj moved towards the mayor’s table and started whispering to her. Taking exception to the issue, corporator Kempanna said, “Let him (Devaraj) say whatever he has to say in the open, why is whispering there... I also want to tell the problems in my ward, should I also follow Devaraj’s actions,” much to the amusement of other councillors present at the meeting.