SALEM: Alleging irregularities in the leasing process of the VOC Flower Market complex, AIADMK councillors led by party's leader of opposition in the council N Yadavamoorthy walked out of the Salem City Municipal Corporation's monthly council meeting, on Friday.
The meeting was chaired by Mayor A Ramachandran, along with Deputy Mayor M Saradha Devi and Salem City Corporation Commissioner M Elangovan.
The AIADMK councillors strongly opposed the corporation's move to lease the flower market shops directly to vendors. The complex, developed under the Smart City project under the AIADMK regime, was originally leased to a private party. After the private party withdrew from the contract, the corporation invited fresh tenders and decided to handle the leasing by itself.
AIADMK councillors said the corporation is now demanding advance payments of up to Rs 8 lakh and monthly rents of up to Rs 20,000 from vendors. They argued that such high costs would be unaffordable for small flower sellers who have been operating at the market for decades.
In response, K Vediyappan, Assistant Commissioner of Ammapettai Zone, said, "The private lessee who took the tender wanted to leave midway. So, we decided to take over the individual shops and collect rent from them. But since the Madras High Court has given a stay order on the move, the lease will continue as per the old terms. We have decided to appeal the stay order."
Yadavamoorthy also claimed that due to irregularities in the leasing method and lack of transparency, the corporation could face an annual revenue loss of nearly Rs 8 crore. He added that public resources are being mishandled, and the burden is being shifted to ordinary traders. Heated arguments followed between DMK and AIADMK councillors, prompting the opposition members to walk out.
The AIADMK councillors also raised concerns about a lack of attention to their wards. Despite repeated requests, they said, even basic civic needs such as installing street name boards have been ignored.
A resolution that proposed allowing the discharge of effluent water from Tharamangalam and Idangarasalai town panchayats into city corporation's treatment plants was withheld after objections from councillors.