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A heated exchange broke out between Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) councillors during the ordinary meeting of the Thoothukudi City Municipal Corporation on Friday, after demands raised by two TVK members led to a confrontation with opposition party councillors.
The meeting was held at the Corporation Council Hall under the chairmanship of Thoothukudi Corporation Mayor NP Jegan Periyasamy, with Corporation Commissioner C Priyanka and Deputy Mayor Jenitta present. Addressing the meeting, Thoothukudi Mayor Jegan Periyasamy said the Thoothukudi Corporation has been witnessing "historic development" through various initiatives implemented over the past four years. He said, "When the DMK came to power, drinking water was supplied once every seven days, but the corporation has now ensured daily water supply to residents." The Mayor also added that the issue of waterlogging during the rainy season has been addressed by creating drainage facilities capable of handling rainfall of up to 10 cm in a single day without water stagnation. He said that the number of water discharge channels in the city has increased from three to 14. Highlighting the corporation's efforts towards greenery and beautification, Jegan Periyasamy said, "Even if there is a change of government in Tamil Nadu, the development work in the Thoothukudi Corporation will continue uninterrupted." The situation turned tense after the corporation staff began reading agenda items, when two councillors -- Mandhiramoorthy, who joined TVK after leaving AIADMK, and Ramar, who switched from DMK to TVK -- stood near the front of the council hall instead of taking their seats. The Mayor asked both councillors to be seated, but they approached the Mayor's desk and raised issues related to their respective wards and corporation matters. Mandhiramoorthy demanded that the corporation pass a resolution thanking the Tamil Nadu government for sanctioning Rs 90 crore for upgrading the Thoothukudi New Bus Stand. Meanwhile, Ramar sought that the name of Minister Madhanraj be included on the plaque of a newly inaugurated fair price shop building in his ward. DMK councillors opposed the demands, following which members from both sides moved towards each other and raised slogans, resulting in a heated argument inside the council hall. Intervening in the matter, Mayor Jegan Periyasamy said that long-term plans have been prepared for the next 10 years to ensure the development of Thoothukudi city. "No matter who comes to power, these plans cannot be altered, nor can the structure of Thoothukudi city be changed," he said. The Mayor further accused TVK members of using a minister's name to threaten corporation officials and contractors and alleged that they were demanding that corporation works be allotted only to them. "I will personally take the lead in filing a police complaint regarding this. No one can block corporation works intended for the public; those projects will continue," he said. The disagreement led to a brief period of tension during the corporation's ordinary meeting before proceedings continued. (ANI)
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