TIRUPPUR: AIADMK councillors complained during Friday's Tiruppur Corporation council meeting that the quality of breakfast provided to schoolchildren under the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme is extremely poor. Similarly, in an unusual move, DMK and AIADMK councillors joined hands to allege that the quality of the breakfast provided to sanitation workers by the corporation is also poor.
P Chinnasamy, AIADMK councillor representing Ward 29, said, "In my ward, the quality of the breakfast provided to schoolchildren in corporation schools is very bad. Most children do not eat the food and instead throw it into the trash bin. When we raise questions with the contractor regarding this, they do not provide a proper response."
AIADMK councillor for Ward 28, R Sekar, also raised the same allegation. "Quality breakfast should be provided to schoolchildren. When we complained to the contractor about this, he suggested we buy buns and jam for the children instead. The corporation should take appropriate action."
Similarly, V Umamaheswari, DMK councillor for Ward 12, said that the quality of the breakfast provided to the sanitation workers by the corporation is also very poor. "As the first zone chairman of the corporation, I tasted the food provided to sanitation workers. The quality is very poor," she said.
AIADMK councillor Chinnasamy also raised the same allegation and said, "During my personal inspection, I observed sanitation workers throwing breakfast into the trash. Instead of this, the corporation could provide them with food allowance," he added.
Responding to the allegations, acting Mayor R Balasubramaniam assured that an inquiry would be conducted and appropriate action taken.
R Anbagam Tirupathi, AIADMK councillor for Ward 42, said, "Before the rainy season intensifies, accumulated silt must be completely removed from the sewage drains in the corporation. A special fund should be allocated for this. Encroachments on sewage drains must be removed, and the silt cleared."
"The nuisance caused by drunkards and miscreants at the Central Bus Stand has become significant. Surveillance efforts there must be intensified. The newly-opened private liquor bars at both entrances of the bus stand must be closed. Encroachments inside the bus stand must be removed," he added.
A Thangaraj, AIADMK councillor for Ward 25, attended a meeting wearing a black shirt and a garland made of light bulbs, in protest against the long-pending, unfulfilled request to install street lights in his ward. Similarly, most councillors stated that requests relating to street lights in their respective wards remained unaddressed.
In response to this, Commissioner M P Amith said, "Solutions will be found for the street light issues in the wards. Demands on new streetlights will be addressed in a phased manner." The commissioner also instructed officials to completely bar contractors who have failed to perform adequately on Corporation projects from securing future contracts.
Argument between CPI and TVK
S Selvaraj, CPI councillor for Ward 11, said, "The TVK government has not allocated funds for any projects over the past four months. Due to this, officials are saying that there is no funding for project works in the wards. This has affected the public. People of TN who expected a change have only received disappointment."
TVK supporting councillor R Nagaraj, Ward 24, opposed this. "A good administration is taking place in TN. It is not possible to achieve everything at the very beginning of a regime." Selvaraj replied that the TVK government is functioning sluggishly, and stated firmly that while they support the regime, they will continue to point out its shortcomings. This led to a brief argument between the two sides.