Road digging work halted in Salem city

Sooramangalam zonal chairman Thyagarajan charged that garbage heaps were lying uncleared in his zone. He also questioned why garbage collection works were handed over to private parties at rates higher than in the past. The AIADMK councillor also alleged that zonal chairpersons were kept in the dark about the road digging works being undertaken in the zone.

The Hasthampatti zonal chairman, Madeswaran said that the electricity board personnel had damaged the underground drainage pipelines while laying cables. Ammapettai Zonal chairman, Jayaprakash, who is also from the ruling AIADMK, asked the Mayor why was the tank in Vellakottai not being desilted ahead of the monsoon rains.

Replying to the charges from his party councillors, the Mayor Soundappan said the roads were being dug up for various purposes including laying underground electric cables, phone cables and drainage. However, in view of the recent rains leaving the city roads slushy, the road digging work would be stopped until Deepavali festival, he announced.

The Salem Commissioner R.Selvaraj added that the Electricity Board had been asked not to use earth moving equipment to dig up roads for laying underground cables.

Meanwhile, the Opposition leader, Buvaneswari charged that the Corporation had imposed a heavy burden on the people by hiking the initial deposit amount collected for getting drinking water connections. She also alleged that the Corporation had suffered revenue loss by laying drinking water pipelines in the land belonging to the Railways. However, as her charges were greeted with angry shouts from the ruling party councillors, Buvaneswari and the eight DMK councillors gagged themselves with black cloth and walked out of the council meeting.