Chennai: Within a week of the TVK government assuming office, early signs of friction have emerged between the state administration and the elected Greater Chennai Corporation council. While the newly elected ministers and representatives have begun chairing review meetings and conducting field inspections across the city, Mayor R Priya, standing committee members, zonal chairpersons, and councillors remained absent.
Mayor's Concerns
The Mayor told TOI that neither she nor the councillors were invited to official programmes. 'All elected representatives must be given equal importance,' she said. Mayor Priya stated that she is recovering from a leg injury and hence has not yet met Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay officially. Deputy Mayor Mahesh Kumar said he was abroad.
Absences at Key Meetings
The Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and standing committee chairmen were absent at the first municipal administration meeting chaired by Vijay as CM. Zonal chairperson of Anna Nagar K P Jain was not present during review meetings chaired by Minister Aadhav Arjuna in Villivakkam. Other zonal chairmen and ward councillors were absent from field inspections and meetings of MLAs at Velachery, Maduravoyal, RK Nagar, and Thousand Lights.
Legal and Practical Context
Article 243 of the 74th Amendment, governing local bodies, does not mandate a state government to invite councillors, including the mayor, for official events, including inspections, and has left it to the discretion of state agencies. It also does not mandate the mayor or councillors to be part of state department events and inspections. However, as a practice, the mayor and standing committee members have been part of all government events, chief minister's events, review meetings, and minister's review meetings.
Impact on Public Projects
This tussle comes at a time when coordination is essential for smooth execution of public projects. Any project involving GCC funds requires a council resolution by the standing committee and mayor. Every month, GCC council approves at least 50 projects, from demolishing walls to setting up Rs 1,000 crore incineration plants. GCC also requires administrative and financial sanctions from state departments for big-ticket projects. Even MLAs need GCC council approvals to execute constituency development works which use MLA local area development funds.
Expert Opinion
Former additional director of the municipal administration and water supply (MAWS) department D S Sivasamy said, 'The mayor should have at least been in a video conference in the MAWS meeting. Concerned officials should inform the mayor of government events. Councillors must be called for visits when an MLA visits a specific ward, and the zonal chairman must be invited for the constituency.' He added that the rift may only affect service delivery to people.
Political Reactions
TVK's Kolathur MLA V S Babu said MLAs do not have a direct mandate to invite councillors. 'We chair meetings with officials, who are the executive authorities. The officials can inform the councillors if they want,' he said. 'The mayor too has not met the CM, nor have the councillors met the MLAs. They are not meeting because of political differences,' he added. Maduravoyal MLA Rhevanth Charan said, 'Some are cooperating, and some aren't. I'm coordinating with whoever is cooperating.' Some councillors on their end have begun independent inspections as well. DMK councillor Kavi Ganesan was seen inspecting schools and buildings. Sivasamy said the council has a one-year tenure left and both sides must ensure smooth coordination.
