Uproar in Coimbatore Corporation council meeting as AIADMK councillor suspended 

AIADMK councillor suspended for derogatory remarks about DMK government, leading to heated exchanges during Coimbatore Corporation meeting.

AIADMK councillor R. Prabhakaran was suspended for the next three Coimbatore Corporation council meetings following derogatory remarks about the ruling DMK government. His comment, referring to the DMK as a “sticker government,” caused an uproar during the Friday’s council meeting, held at Victoria Town Hall in the city.

The remarks triggered demands from DMK councillors for both an apology and his suspension. Heated exchanges between the AIADMK and DMK councillors further escalated the situation.

The meeting, chaired by Mayor R. Ranganayaki, saw councillors raising issues from their respective wards. Of the 83 resolutions discussed, 82 were approved by the council.

Members of the Tax Committee, led by M. Mubaseera, expressed dissatisfaction over the inclusion of 17 resolutions that were added to the agenda without prior review by the committee. Ms. Mubaseera pointed out the lack of transparency in the process, noting that the resolutions were not discussed beforehand. “It has been six months since the committee meeting was held, and nothing has come out of our table until now. Corporation officials are citing that there are no subjects to discuss,” said Ms. Mabuseera.

The resolution to revise building permit fees for residential properties exceeding 3,500 sq.ft. failed to gain approval. The councillors argued that the fee hike was exorbitant and cited the absence of a Government Order for its implementation.

In a separate development, CPI councillors P. Mallika, Praba Ravindran, and D. Mohan protested the appointment of Santhi Chandran as the party’s new council head. As a result, they did not attend the meeting.

Several councillors raised concerns about the poor maintenance of public toilets and urged immediate action. They demanded that the private firms responsible for upkeep should be monitored and emphasised the need to expedite the process of awarding tenders to new private companies for maintenance.