DMK councillors evicted from council meeting

Mayor says malaria cases dwindling

Chennai:
Chennai Mayor Saidai Duraiswami vacated the DMK councillors from the Chennai Corporation council meeting after they failed to heed to his pleas and continued to disrupt the proceedings by demanding his reply on issues of mosquito menace and sewerage issues.

The proceedings came to a stand still when the DMK members demanded reply from Duraiswami on reports alleging the rise in mosquito menace in the city. The mayor asked them to be patient and said the issue would be discussed after the question hour of the council meeting.

When the DMK members failed to heed to his request, the mayor then ordered them to vacate the premises. Later DMK councillors lead by the opposition leader Subash Chandra Bose alleged that they were not allowed to speak about the mosquito menace and sewerage issues in the council meeting.

The mayor later clarified that malaria cases in the city have come down while citing the figures. He said that the report that there was rise in malaria cases in Tondiarpet, Royapuram, Teynampet, Kodambakkam and Adayar was untrue. He said that till August the five zones have reported only 187 cases as against 673 last year.

He also said that across the city, 3,100 malaria cases were reported this year when compared to 4,053 last year.

Later, during the meeting, the Mayor informed the council that Chennai Corporation has recommended to open fair price vegetable shops in all the 200 wards. The recommendation has been send to state food and civil supplies department.

He also said that the city currently has 193 graveyards and taking into consideration, the space and usage, these graveyards would be gazetted and ascertained. Those that are not in use will be closed and steps are taken in this direction.

In the recently extended areas of Chennai Corporation, the number of graveyards will be brought down and depending upon necessity, steps will be taken to regularize the employees. With regard to privately managed graveyards, housed in private land, the corporation could not take over the graveyard, he added.

Factfile:
1. A total of 75 resolutions were passed today
2. Chennai corporation said that Koyambedu traders can’t be exempted from property tax
3. A proposal is sent to government to provide electricity board connection only to trade licensed establishment

Malaria facts:
Chennai Corporation
Year          total no cases

2007              8923

2008              8086

2009              5423

2010              5728

2011              5655

2012              4053

2013              3100

]

Malaria status in five divisions

Divisions      2012           2013

Tondiarpet        65             19

Royapuram     182             61

Teynampet      135             37

Kodambakkam 98             39

Adayar             193            31

Total                673           187