ANGAMALY: Amid high drama and chaos in the municipal council meeting with the warring Opposition and ruling councillors, including women councillors, physically assaulting each other, municipal chairman C K Varghese declared the municipal budget for the year 2011-12, as presented by municipal vice-chairperson Mary Varghese here on Tuesday. The budget envisages a total income of `21,91,54,971 and expenditure of `19,76,72,341 and balance of `2,14,82,627.
After the introductory speech by Varghese who presided over the meeting, he invited Mary Varghese on her capacity as the finance standing committee chairperson to present the budget which led to the pandemonium.
The opposition councillors stormed the treasury bench, snatched the budget from the vice-chairperson and tore it down. The attempt by the ruling councillors to protect the vice-chairperson was futile. The council witnessed uproarious scenes when the councillors from both sides manhandled each other. In the melee, one person from the ruling side was physically lifted and thrown on the table by the other group.
Meanwhile, some ruling councillors handed over a copy of the budget to the vice-chairperson, who read out a few sentences and the chairman declared the budget presented and the meeting dispersed.
Later, the Opposition councillors in a press meet, termed the action of Mary Varghese on the capacity of standing committee chairperson (Finance) presenting the budget as illegal and violation of Municipal Act.
According to them, the finance standing committee should discuss the budget proposals and recommend it to present before the council to get it passed. They alleged that the standing committee was not convened owing to lack of quorum and hence the budget reportedly presented by the standing committee chairperson was invalid.
The opposition said it would sue the ruling front over the unlawful presentation of the budget. They threatened that they would not allow the budget discussion scheduled on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the municipal ruling councillors led by C K Varghese and Mary Varghese told media that the opposition councillors were taking law into their hands. He claimed that the presentation of the budget was strictly based on law.
The budget proposals were prepared by the standing committee. The ruling front denied the allegation that the standing committee was not convened owing to lack of quorum. Of the five-member committee only two Opposition councillors were absent.
In the municipal council the ruling Congress has 16 members, backed by two independent councillors. In the Opposition, LDF has only 12 councillors.
Unfortunately the council meetings are caught in the grip of in-fights among the Congress-led ruling councillors. One Congress councillor remained absent in the crucial standing committee to finalise the budget proposals for unknown reasons.
This inturn affected the routine works of the municipality during the last eight months. A strong contingent of police was present in the municipal council hall.