GHMC’s council meeting had hardly started on Wednesday, before it was ended abruptly by Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi amid high drama.
The meeting was off to the scheduled start at about 12.30 p.m., with Ms. Vijayalakshmi moving the condolence motions for the deceased members, MLA G. Sayanna, and corporator D. Karunakar. All members observed two-minute silence.
Ms. Vijayalakshmi delivered her address eulogising government projects such as the installation of B.R. Ambedkar’s statue and construction of new Secretariat complex, and listing out programmes by GHMC for addressing the issue of stray dogs and adoption of lakes under the corporate social responsibility initiatives.
Before the question and answer session could start, Executive Director of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) M. Satyanarayana obtained permission to say a few words.
He recalled the protest by BJP corporators at the Board’s headquarters the previous day, when silt was brought from drains of Moosapet and reportedly dumped in the chamber of an official.
Describing the incident as “ demoralising” for the hardworking officials and staff of the HMWS&SB, he said he was boycotting the meeting with other Board officials as a mark of protest, and walked out.
Within less than a minute, the posse of GHMC officials led by Additional Commissioner (Sanitation) V. Mamatha too staged a “walk out” in solidarity with the water board officials, rendering the meeting purposeless.
Ms. Vijayalakshmi adjourned the meeting the very next moment, and squarely blamed the BJP corporators for it, who wore black to the meeting, protesting various issues including flooding, and death of a girl after falling in a drain at Kalasiguda during recent downpour.
Some of the corporators wore life jackets and swimming floats, a few came with hand-held fire extinguishers, while one dressed himself as a mosquito to bring attention to various issues such as floods, fire mishaps and mosquito menace respectively.
Addressing a press conference, Ms. Vijayalakshmi and former deputy mayor Baba Fasiuddin decried the language used by BJP members against the officials, and accused them of wasting public money.
Congress corporator P. Vijaya Reddy called the Mayor “incapable” as she was unable to control the officials from boycotting the meeting, but instead supported them. She questioned how happenings outside the council could be allowed to affect the council proceedings, and called it an insult to the people, public representatives and democracy.
Her colleague Rajashekhar Reddy said government officers are paid servants of the system, and they have no excuse to escape from their responsibility. He demanded show cause notices to be issued to the officials.
Senior BJP corporator Shankar Yadav called the Mayor “inefficient”, and said she should have convinced the officials to stay. He denied the allegations of abusive language against officers.
