After stirring up a hornet’s nest soon after taking over as Mayor by asking MCC Commissioner P.G. Ramesh not to take up works before bringing the same to her notice, Mayor N.M. Rajeshwari yesterday urged Deputy Commissioner C. Shikha to withhold the action plans submitted under the Rs. 100-crore special grant allotted after Siddharamiah became the Chief Minister.

Taking exception to the plans submitted for approval of the Government through the Office of the DC, Mayor Rajeshwari, in a letter, said that funds allocated in the recent State Budget for the MCC should be utilised for further improvement of existing infrastructure facilities.

It is learnt that the normal procedure for submitting the plan with Detailed Project Report (DPR) is for the Mysore City Corporation (MCC) to prepare the DPR, then submit it to the Deputy Commissioner, who is the competent authority in over seeing the projects under the Rs. 100-Crore Special Grant.

Here, in this case, the Mayor has alleged that the DC’s office has bypassed set norms and sent the DPR to the Govt. for approval.

Rajeshwari has reportedly written that while preparing the plan, officials had ignored the burning issues at all the 65 Wards of the MCC and observed that as per routine, the issue should have been discussed in the Council prior to drafting of the plan.

Keep plans in abeyance

Citing above factors, the Mayor is said to have urged the DC to keep all these plans in abeyance till the Council discusses and gives its mandatory consent to clear the plan.

It is learnt that Mayor Rajeshwari’s stand has been supported by Chairmen of various Standing Committees and members of both ruling and opposition parties.

Commissioner clarifies

Claiming that he was aware of the meeting between the Mayor and Corporators with the Deputy Commissioner, MCC Commissioner P.G. Ramesh has reportedly said that he was not aware of the letter in question.

He, however, added that he was prepared to discuss the issue at the Council meeting scheduled for Nov.26 and denied that there was lack of co-ordination between elected representatives and officials of the civic body.

Courtesy : Star Of Mysore