Mangalore: Volte-face - 'Mayor Asked MCC Officials to Report After Raid, Not Before'
Pics: Ramesh Pandith
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (NM)
Mangalore, Jun 30: "The mayor had asked the MCC officials to inform her after conducting a raid, and not before as given in the media," clarified MCC commissioner Harish Kumar on Saturday June 30, adding that the media had misinterpreted her statement and confused between 'after' and 'before'.
He made the statement in reply to a query raised by councillor Shankar Bhat at the MCC general council meeting held at zilla panchayat office. Mayor Gulzar Banu had recently issued a statement that the MCC officials must inform her in advance before conducting a raid. The statement had drawn flak from various quarters.
Harish Kumar said that as there was some confusion, he called up the mayor to clarify the matter. "When I called the mayor, she said that her statement on raids had been wrongly interpreted and presented by the media in a manner different from what she had meant," he explained.
"Many people including mediapesons call her up at the time of the raid or later to collect information or get her opinion. However, as the raids are conducted independently, she is unaware of the details, and hence she asked us to report to her," he clarified.
He further emphasized that the raids will still be confidential and no prior information will be leaked to any party, including the mayor.
Condemning the recent spate of raids, corporator Harinath countered the commissioner saying that the MCC officials, particularly of the sanitation department, instead of looking into the cleanliness in the city and surrounding areas, were solely interested in conducting raids while cleanliness had gone totally neglected.
The commissioner in his reply said that the continuous raids were to ensure that traders run their business with trade licences and other documents. "When we verified the documents in the office, we understood that a good percentage of businesses did not have licence. This was the reason for behind the raids," he said.
On the recent increase in cases of dengue and malaria in the region, Harish Kumar said that appropriate action has been taken to prevent the diseases from spreading. "It mainly spreads due to improper methods of construction, lack of cleanliness in hotels and drainage leak. Therefore, severe action will be taken against those who do not take precautions and cause harm. In addition, we have appointed 72 personnel and an officer to conduct a survey and bring the situation under control," he said.
Mayor Gulzar Banu presided over the meeting. Deputy mayor Amithakala, corporators and other MCC officials were present.
As the renovation work of the council hall in MCC building is in progress, the council meet was held at the auditorium of zilla panchayath in Urwa.