Bedlam in Municipal council meeting, furnitures broken

Puducherry, May 7 (UNI) Pandemonium prevailed in the Puducherry Municipal Council meeting today as councillors broke chairs and tables to register their protest, forcing Deputy chairman to adjourn the House sine-die.

As soon as the council meeting convened by Municipality chairperson Dr Sridevi began in which all the councillors were present, Puducherry Munnetra Congress councillor Kumaresan rose to his feet, demanding an apology from her for evicting two councillors from the consultation meeting held last week.

Mr Kumaresan said by evicting the two councillors from the meeting, the chairperson had showered disgrace on them and insisted that if Dr Sridevi was reluctant to tender an apology, she should quit.

Congress and independent councillors also joined the PMC councillors and ghearoed Dr Sridevi, forcing her to adjourn the House and leave the hall.

Immediately after she left, the councillors brought Deputy chairman John Kumar to the chair and conducted the proceedings.

DMK councillor Anibal Kennedy read out a statement that none of the resolutions adopted in the previous sittings of the council were implemented and the councillors should boycott the sessions till the resolutions adopted earlier were implemented. Mr Kennedy himself announced the resolution as passed since 30 councillors had signed it.

With AIADMK councillors objecting to it, Mr John Kumar moved the resolution and passed it by voice vote.

When he continued with the proceedings, AIADMK members, raising objection to him sitting in the chair of the chairperson, said this is mockery of democracy. The AIADMK and PMC members then announced that they were staging a walkout.

As the members were moving out of the hall, Congress councillor Govindaraj asked them to get out. This provoked the members and a PMC member was seen rushing towards Govindaraj to assault him but was prevented by other councillors. In a fit of rage, the councillors smashed the chairs and tables in the House.

Amid ruckus, John Kumar adjourned the council meeting sine-die.

UNI