Tambaram corporation skips Jan meet, critical issues remain unheard

Chennai: Tambaram corporation has skipped holding its council meeting for Jan, leaving critical issues such as water supply, drainage and public health services unaddressed. This comes just a month after two Pallavaram residents died and nearly 50 people were hospitalised after consuming contaminated water.
Corporation commissioner S Balachander refused to comment on why the meeting was not held, but councillors say such meetings, like in Greater Chennai Corporation, are turning into an ugly war with officials.
A senior official, who is part of the team that schedules and prepares the agenda for the meeting, said it was because the mayor was not available. "We could not meet the mayor to get her dates. We will plan for the meeting in Feb."
Councillors say Tamil Nadu Urban Local Body Rules 2023 mandate council meetings meet once a month. Special meetings can be convened for urgent matters. The last meeting was on Dec 30. "We should have had the meeting in the last week of Jan. We didn't receive any communication. Normally, we get a circular a week in advance," said Sankar G, AIADMK councillor from Selaiyur. Others say officials ensure focus is more on routine procedures during meetings. Local issues such as infrastructure development, waste management, and civic projects are hardly discussed.
"Most meetings are chaotic. Only a few councillors get to speak, and issues such as school infrastructure and sanitation go unaddressed," said a DMK councillor from Anakaputhur.
Residents continue to struggle with poor road conditions, erratic water supply, and inadequate waste management. Area sabha meetings have also not been conducted in any of the 70 wards.
"Without regular meetings, neither residents nor councillors can effectively raise grievances. Many complaints have been pending for months. There is no meaningful discourse between residents and the civic body," said Giridhar Sureshkumar of Irumbuliyur Residents' Welfare Association.