Councillors flag civic gaps ahead of poll code

Trichy: The monthly council meeting at the Trichy Corporation main office on Tuesday — likely the last before the state heads into Assembly elections — saw councillors pressing for urgent redress of civic grievances before the Model Code of Conduct comes into force.Members across parties urged the Mayor and officials to address pending local issues, warning that unresolved grievances could hurt their parties during the campaign season. "The mayor should allocate a minimum of ₹5 lakh as a special fund per ward to attend to minor grievances before the election," L. Rex, Congress councillor from Ward 39, said. DMK councillors called for immediate attention to roads, streetlights and drinking water supply. "There is a problem in my ward in supplying drinking water, and it continues for months. If we do not resolve it now, the issue will impact during elections," O Neelamegam, DMK councillor from Ward 42, said. The meeting turned heated when T Muthuselvam (DMK) and AIADMK councillor K K Ambikapathi (Ward 65) exchanged arguments. Ambikapathi alleged that his ward had been ignored in projects funded from the corporation's general funds and raised concerns over rising debt. "The debt burden of the corporation is increasing," he said before staging a walkout along with two other AIADMK councillors. CPI councillor K Suresh countered the charge, stating that the corporation's borrowings were within prescribed limits. "It is unfortunate that the AIADMK councillor has a poor understanding of the city's financial situation," he said. Mayor Mu Anbalagan said projects worth over ₹55 crore had been sanctioned in the wards of three AIADMK councillors over the past four years, rejecting claims of discrimination. MSID:: 128977674 413 | Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Holi wishes, messages and quotes !