Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal (SP)

Bantwal, Oct 13: It has come to light that an absentee member of a standing committee that had been formed all of a sudden for the municipal council here after a gap of four years, a member, who was absent, had seconded the name of a member for the standing committee.

A special session of the municipality had been convened half an hour before the commencement of the general session of the municipality on October 10. Seven members were nominated and seconded during the meeting. As per the attendance book, Congress councillors, Jacinta D'Souza and Sanjeevi, nominated member, Lolaksha Shetty, Lokesh Poojary, and SDPI member, Mumtaz, were absent from the meeting. As decided in advance, five BJP members had boycotted the meeting.

Municipal president, Ramakrishna Alva, vice president, Muhammed Nandarbettu, Bantwal Urban Development Authority chairman, Sadashiva Bangera and other Congress members, and two members of SDPI were present.

As per records, SDPI member, Monish Ali Ahmed, was nominated by Muhammed Iqbal of the same party as member of the committee and minutes book shows that Mumtaz approved his name. But Mumtaz was absent during the entire process, BJP councillors contend.

BJP councillor, Devadas Shetty, has complained to director of municipal administration, accusing chief officer of the municipal council hee, Rekha Shetty, of violating Karnataka Municipalities Act when recording the proceedings of the general session. He said that after the meeting on October 10, the chief officer was asked to record the minutes and obtain signatures of the president and members, but she refused to do so, saying that she needs three days to do so. In a complaint, he has sought action against her.