The two new corporations of Thanjavur and Dindigul that were inaugurated by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Thursday commenced their maiden session on Friday.
The meeting of the Thanjavur City Corporation was held after District Collector N Subbaiyan handed over a traditional robe, 105 sovereign golden garland and a five-foot sceptre to Mayor Savithri Gopal at the Council Hall on Friday.
Presiding over the historical first meeting, the mayor thanked Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa for upgrading the municipality to a corporation. In a resolution, Gopal said the Chief Minister had announced the decision to upgrade the municipality into a City Corporation in the Assembly on April 10, 2013 and a draft plan was passed on October 30. A GO to upgrade the municipality was passed on February 19. “The council is very thankful to Amma,” the mayor said.
Speaking to mediapersons later, Gopal said the Chief Minister has allocated a fund of `80 crore in Phase I for development works like under-ground drainage, road and drinking water facility. “We have been charting out an estimate plan for the Phase II development works which would be sent to the government for approval,” she added.
Meanwhile, V Maruthraj, who took charge as the first Mayor of Dindigul, began his inaugural address with an assurance that drinking water issue would be given utmost priority and the urban body would get 11 rain water tanks soon. Besides this, the urban body would also take steps to upgrade roads and complete the work on drainage system soon.
Marutharaj presided over the council meeting by wearing the Mayor’s robe, 101-sovereign gold chain worth `26 lakh and a silver bracelet worth `5 lakh .
The new mayor thanked Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, and Ministers Natham R Viswanathan and KP Munusamy, for elevating Dindigul municipality into a corporation. Except the 14 members of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, all the other 31 councillors of the Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, one from Bharatiya Janatha Party and another from Communist Party of India attended the inaugural session of the Corporation council.