Unkept promises may affect TMC

By K. V. Prasad

COIMBATORE, SEPT. 5. The announcement of elections to local bodies in October has brought the Coimbatore Corporation to a stage of retrospection-vis-a-vis the performance of the Tamil Maanila Congress as the ruling party.

If the TMC decides against a merger with the Congress and seeks a second innings of Mayorship, it will have to face uneasy moments as many questions will be posed over its inability to measure up to public expectations.

In such a situation, the party and its Mayor, Mr. V. Gopalakrishnan (whether he seeks a second term or not is still a matter of speculation as much as the merger) will be hard pressed for convincing replies.

The TMC may seek refuge under ``extraneous'' reasons - lack of co-operation from other parties and from the then DMK Government - which impeded development in the city. But that there was an ``error of will'' on the part of the ruling party cannot be denied.

Much of the disappointment among the people stems from the poll- eve assurance by the Mayor that he would turn Coimbatore into Singapore in terms of cleanliness.

While the overflowing open drains and poor solid waste management point to the inability to streamline the disposal system, the flip-side sought to be pointed out by the TMC is that the underground drainage scheme was sabotaged by the main Opposition, DMK, and privatisation of solid waste disposal faced opposition from various quarters in the Council.

The DMK opposed the ``huge'' financial burden on the people in the form of connection and service charges under the the drainage scheme. The DMK was apprehensive that it would become unpopular because of the high rates.

The DMK suggested that the Corporation seek a higher grant for the Rs. 208-crore scheme. But the DMK Government torpedoed the request of the all-party team headed by the Mayor and instead castigated the Corporation for not launching the project. It was only then the DMK grudgingly agreed to approve the scheme in the Council almost after two years.

Yet, the extended areas of the Corporation, which are reeling under the open drainage menace, are not prepared to forgive the TMC and the DMK, what with the Councillors from these areas pointing fingers at both the parties when confronted by the voters .

Similarly, on the delay in regularisation of unapproved layouts, the TMC accuses the previous Government of imposing stiff conditions. Significantly, the DMK and other parties also supported this view and appealed to the Government to relax the conditions. But, by the time the Government agreed, the entire process had consumed precious time.

The council has appealed to the present Government to relax some more conditions and sought time till March 2002 for regularisation.

Faulty waste management, poor infrastructure in the form of bad roads, inability to discipline the workforce and keep politics out of the council where development works should take precedence are all being held against the TMC. Even if it maintains its ``regional identity'' in the local bodies polls, it will have to live with a bitter past and public disapproval.

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