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Civic Casualty
Differences
between the mayor and deputy mayor of Chennai take an ugly turn, bringing
little cheer for the city.
A lowdown by India Today Special Correspondent Arun Ram.
On
January 10, most newspapers covering the Chennai Corporation Council meeting
captured a telling picture: Mayor M.K. Stalin and Deputy Mayor "Karate"
Thyagarajan pointing fingers at each other, literally. The captions read
different but their import was the same: the two could never see eye to
eye and that little could be done for the betterment of Chennai.
Not that it is anything new. The moment the local body election results
were out—with Stalin being reelected the mayor and the AIADMK bagging
the majority of seats—Chennai knew what to expect. When Thyagarajan
was elected the deputy mayor, the battle lines were drawn. The following
days saw the public's worst fears materialising.
As civic works came to a near standstill, Stalin accused the Government
of not releasing enough funds for civic works. The AIADMK members, who
occupy the treasury benches, clearly proved to be a louder shouting brigade.
Officials, scared of incurring the ruling party's wrath, either exceeded
their brief or turned inert.
The first casualty, even before the new corporation council came into
effect, was the Perambur flyover. On July 11, 2001, Stalin visited the
flyover site and said he had no faith in the officials under the AIADMK
regime. Casting aspersions on the Government's sincerity in allowing the
progress of construction, Stalin threatened to launch a "people's"
stir. Not much later, Administration Minister Durairaj visited the site
and reported to the Government some irregularities in the construction.
The Government appointed a commission of inquiry and the construction
remains stalled.
Drinking water supply too has never been satisfactory in Chennai, but
the tug-of-war in the corporation council did everything but take away
attention from the problem. Despite good rains, areas in north Chennai
such as Perambur, Vyasarpadi, New Washermanpet, Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar and
Mint reeled under a water crisis. Even the better off south Chennai was
hit, as parts of Kodambakkam, Trustpuram, New Colony and Taramani struggled
to cope. Worse followed: colonies pooled in money to bribe their way into
getting water while tankers made news more for running over school students
and pedestrians than supplying drinking water.
Subsequently, a spell of heavy rains helped the Metro water officials
raise their pitch of claims and cut down the number of water tankers by
half but Chennai roads suffered like never before. There was not a single
road without potholes till last week, when the corporation took up some
temporary patch work. Among the worst affected roads were Velacheri, Vadapalani
and Valluvarkottam, besides stretches of even arterial roads like Anna
Salai, Hundred Feet Road, Kodambakkam High Road and Nungambakkam High
Road. Haphazard digging by several cable-laying companies added immeasurably
to the road-users' woes. The recent patch work cannot last long and would
be washed away by a light rain.
Even the tender process for road works worth Rs 1.15 crore in the Saidapet
zonal office on January 9 smacked of fraud. The tender opening, scheduled
for 3 p.m., was called off at the last minute by the then corporation
commissioner P.R. Shampath. The official explanation was that the tenders
could not be finalised before the February 21 by-elections. Sources confided
that there were gross irregularities. While the tender was to open at
3 p.m., DMK and AIADMK members started an unofficial "auction"
a little after noon.
The root of the trouble, the political rivalry between the mayor and the
deputy mayor, took an uglier turn when Stalin found fault with Thyagarajan
using the corporation emblem and the flag on his official car. "The
deputy mayor has broken all traditions by using the corporation emblem,"
Stalin said. But Thyagarajan insists it's the other way round. According
to him, Stalin was using pilot and escort vehicles during his previous
tenure, which has not been the tradition of mayors.
Allegations and counter allegations of Stalin and Thyagarajan indulging
in malpractice abounded during the local body elections as well. the AIADMK
general secretary found in Thyagarajan the best bet in taking on Stalin
in the corporation council. And Thyagarajan rose to Jayalalitha's expectations.
The first council meet this new year, on January 10, was a display of
pandemonium. When the mayor tabled a resolution relating to the construction
of a school building in Division 66, TMC floor leader P. Vetrivel alleged
that Stalin had a "hidden agenda." When Thyagarajan took up
the matter, asking for an explanation from the mayor, all hell broke lose.
The mayor and the deputy mayor were seen shouting at each other forcing
Stalin to adjourn the meeting in the end.
"He told me I should not participate in the debate while sitting
on the deputy mayor's chair," says Thyagarajan. "I am a councillor
and have every right to speak. It is for the commissioner to decide where
I should sit." He does not agree that the AIADMK has been responsible
for stalling the proceedings and thereby pushing civic works to the backseat.
"Amma has given us clear instructions that we should serve the people.
We never put spokes in development plans. It is the mayor who is shying
away from the public by not attending even official functions."
DMK floor leader C.V. Malayan says the mayor cannot participate in many
of the functions because he is either not informed or is insulted by the
absence of officials. "There was not a single official present when
the mayor went to attend the Pulse Polio programme on January 20. The
officials are scared of the AIADMK which is in power in the state,"
says Malayan, who argues that civic works have suffered because the Government
did not release the statutory funds of Rs 20 crore. With no end in sight
to the war of words, it is clear that the people of Chennai will continue
to be in the lurch.
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