Zone-level meetings have not been held for last five months, complained councillors

Mayor (in-charge) T. Nagarajan and Commissioner Gaurav Kumar addressing the Corporation Council meeting held in Madurai on Monday. | Photo Credit: G. MOORTHY Councillors from the DMK and the AIADMK joined together and raised eyebrows over the failure to conduct zone-level meetings in the Madurai Corporation for the last five months and demanded that the authorities come out with a solution.The Council meeting, held at Anna Maaligai on Monday, was chaired by Mayor (in-charge) T. Nagarajan. Commissioner Gaurav Kumar and other officials participated.Even as the meeting was called to order, AIADMK councillor Solai M. Raja raised the issue and demanded a response from the Commissioner for not convening the meetings at the zone level. Joining him, DMK councillors, including Jayaraman and others, were on their toes. There was chaos as too many members were seen speaking and shouting at the official machinery.After a pause, Mr. Gaurav Kumar said that work had been happening in the city. Only after he explained that the zone-level meetings would be held on September 2 and 3 did the meeting commence.Seeking a response from the Commissioner and other officials, Mr. Jayaraman said that a commercial undertaking functioning near the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai Central Assembly constituency had not paid monthly rent to the Corporation. Under the influence of an MLA, the authorities had been going slow on recovery, he alleged.He said that when such was the stand of the Corporation, why were roadside vendors and other shops in the Mattuthavani Integrated Bus Stand forced to pay rent, and why were the premises sealed when they failed to pay. He urged the officials to be transparent and fair.When Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay had been claiming to deliver clean administration, collecting rental arrears should be uniform and fair, he stressed. Councillors raising demands at the Corporation Council meeting held in Madurai on Monday. | Photo Credit: G. MOORTHY Spot fine for dumping garbage suspended for two monthsFollowing a discussion, the Mayor agreed to suspend the imposition of spot fines for about two months. DMK councillors said that in the absence of dumper bins and with a shortage of conservancy workers, residents had no place to dispose of garbage from their homes.When the civic body provided sufficient infrastructure, why would the public dump garbage on the streets, they asked, and appealed to the Mayor and Commissioner to provide dumper bins and employ adequate workers across all 100 wards.Intervening, the Commissioner said the objective was to have a city without dumper bins. Towards this, the civic authorities and workers had commenced a series of measures. He sought the cooperation of the public and appealed to councillors to campaign about the steps among people in their respective wards.The Mayor said merchants seeking a trade licence could henceforth apply online, and the move was welcomed by all councillors.Though Mullaperiyar river water had been launched for drinking purposes, Mr. Solai Raja complained that the bursting of blue-coloured pipelines continued in many wards. He urged the Commissioner to personally intervene and monitor the repairs on a war footing.There were also demands from councillors to suspend the contract of the private agency. However, the officials explained the circumstances and said its services could not be terminated, as the decision had to be taken by the government. Published - August 24, 2026 09:12 pm IST