CHENNAI: Councillors cutting across party lines on Friday urged the state government to immediately release Rs 60 lakh ward development fund for each ward and the Rs 4 crore mayor’s development fund, with several members threatening to resign if the allocations continued to be withheld. The demand was raised through a calling attention motion during the council meeting, for which DMK members came dressed in black.
DMK floor leader R Ramalingam said several civic works had slowed following the change in government, while tenders for some projects had been cancelled.
Referring to the government’s decision to provide cars to MLAs along with maintenance assistance, Deputy Mayor M Magesh Kumaar said funds for civic works should also be released. Mayor R Priya had written to the government on Wednesday seeking the funds, he added.
Ward 141 councillor Raja Anbazhagan said councillors should resign if the funds were not released. BJP councillor Uma Anandan asked why hold council meeting if the public issues are not addressed, often citing fund crunch. AIADMK councillor T Sathyanathan backed the resignation call, while councillors from CPI, CPM, MDMK, Congress and other parties joined the demand.