In Hyderabad, amid protests, council meeting ends in chaos

HYDERABAD: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation's (GHMC) general body meeting ended on an abrupt note again on Wednesday over BJP corporators' protest following the death of nine-year-old Mounika who had fallen into an open drain during rains a few days ago. At the end of the mayor's speech, officials of both the GHMC and Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) walked out of the meeting accusing BJP corporators of being disrespectful.
Requesting mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi a moment to make his statement, a water board official stood up and referred to the BJP corporators' protest on Tuesday outside HMWS&SB office where mud and silt were thrown.

"We want to register our protest over yesterday's incident where silt collected from drainage was pelted at our manager's office. This has demoralised all the officers. Owing to this our directors and staff are boycotting this meeting," the official said and walked out with others.
Following suit, GHMC officials too boycotted the meeting while extending support to HMWS&SB officials.
Soon after BJP corporators approached the mayor's chair and raised slogans against the officials, forcing Vijayalakshmi to adjourn the meeting for another day.
Later, Telangana State Gazetted Officers Association president and GHMC's zonal commissioner V Mamatha issued a statement saying that the BJP corporators should have addressed them politely.
"The main reason to boycott the meeting is because of BJP corporators' behaviour at Jal Mandal office on Tuesday. Officers from circle to zonal level are listening to the problems of the corporators and working hard to resolve them, yet officials are being attacked using unparliamentary words," Mamatha stated.
Addressing the media after the meeting, the mayor lashed out at BJP corporators for dumping silt at officers' chambers. "The unparliamentary language isn't right. Even last time, we had a lot of questions but none of the problems could be resolved because of BJP's obstructive behaviour," Vijayalakshmi said referring to the budget session held in December last year.