Chennai Councillor’s ‘henchmen’ threaten hostel owner for refusing donation for temple festival

CHENNAI: In what is alleged to be yet another instance of councillors’ highhandedness, a group of men claiming to be the associates of the local ward member manhandled the owner of a hostel in Kanthanchavadi for allegedly refusing to donate money for a temple festival.

But the councillor denied any link to the men and said it was an issue between the hostel owner and the local public over letting out untreated sewage into storm water drain.

"A month ago, they demanded donation for the festival of a recently constructed temple. When we refused, they demanded to a hefty amount. Ever since then, we have been facing trouble from the local politicians. I was threatened with dire consequences," hostel owner D Srinivasan told DT Next.

After he was shoved and manhandled by the group on Monday, officials from the Greater Chennai Corporation came to the spot and sealed the hostel’s sewer line for allegedly discharging waste into the drain.

When asked about the charge, Srinivasan said the councillor was angry over refusing donation and sent the civic body officials to inspect and seal the sewage line. Local sources said the areas under Perungudi and Sholinganallur zones are yet to get sewer pipeline, and many residents and commercial buildings discharge untreated sewage into the drains illegally.

When contacted, councillor KPK Sathish Kumar of ward 182 denied any role in the incident and said the zonal officials had issued notice two months ago but the hostel owner neither responded nor stopped letting out waste illegally. “There were complaints that the storm water drain was clogged during monsoon due to this and the officials plugged the illegal sewer based on the Commissioner's instruction. The hostel failed to pay the fine imposed by the Corporation. My name is unnecessarily dragged into the episode," Sathish Kumar told DT Next.