GHMC Corporators, officials clash
Hyderabad, Oct 28 (INN): Bedlam ensured at the Special General Council meeting of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation on Thursday as Corporators and officials were pitted against each other, each trying to shout down the other. The tussle between the elected representatives and the officials began when Chief Engineer R Dhan Singh revealed that 224 pre-monsoon de-silting works, costing Rs 8.93 crore were undertaken on 669 km of Nalas which wind through the GHMC limits.
The Corporators challenged the figures and doubted that such a vast area was de-silted. They turned their attention to GHMC Commissioner Sameer Sharma and sought his statement. Dr Sharma told them that Mr Dhan Singh was the right person to answer their questions. Mr Dhan Singh attempted to answer their question, but the Corporators were not satisfied. He said that he had to go by the figures given by the Executive Engineers.
Dr Sharma then proceeded to call the EEs inside the Council Hall. The EEs were accompanied by the various Deputy Commissioners. With over a hundred officials inside the Council Hall, the scene soon turned uproarious with the Corporators taking umbrage on the presence of the officials at the meeting.
Mayor Banda Karthika Reddy ruled that only the Commissioner and the Chief Engineer could answer the Corporators questions and the EEs had no role to play. Some Corporators said that the presence of EEs inside the Council Hall was an insult to the Council. These remark ignited passions, with all the officials turning against the Corporators. Former mayor Mir Zulfikhar Ali tried to cool down the frayed tempers, by saying that under certain conditions, the EEs are allowed by law to answer the Corporators questions.
Mr Zulfikhar Alis words were brushed aside by the angry Corporators and the war of words flew back and forth between the two groups. The tussle had the side effect of uniting the Corporators who had earlier turned their ire on Telugu Desam Party Floor Leader Singireddy Srinivas Reddy who had earlier told the MIM Corporators that they were only interested in GHMC affairs when their party president ordered them to do so.
This led to Mr Singireddy being targeted by the MIM Corporators, throwing the Council into bedlam for half-an-hour. Mr Singireddy demanded that the Council reveal how the Rs 35 crore sanctioned for making arrangements for Ramzaan, Ganesh and Bonalu festivals were spent. He also was very critical of the condition of the city roads.
The TDP Floor Leader then turned his attention to the Mayor, accusing her of giving importance only to the Congress Corporators and its allies. This had an impact of the Congress Corporators blasting the TDP leader, leading to another 40 minutes of bedlam. An adjournment finally restored order in the proceedings. The resultant bedlam forced the Mayor to adjourn the meeting for half an hour.
The bedlam however had the effect of answering the unspoken questions in the minds of the scribes present. The question was how could the civic conditions in the city be so pathetic. If the elected representatives and the officials in the GHMC are on the warpath against each other, the general public can do well by putting their faith and hopes in Divine Intervention.
News Posted: 28 October, 2010
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