Chaos at Madurai Corpn budget session

MADURAI: Chaos reigned at the council hall of Madurai Corporation on Wednesday as councillors of the ruling DMK and members of AIADMK vied with each other in occupying seats.

The Corporation’s budget session led by Mayor Indirani Ponvasanth was scheduled to commence at 11 30 am and several councilors of AIADMK arrived at the hall well in advance.

Trouble erupted after the DMK councillors got annoyed over the AIADMK members occupying the seats meant for them.

The AIADMK councillors said seats for them were allocated in order in rows opposite the seats of DMK councillors, but in a haphazard manner.

Objecting to this, the AIADMK councillors demanded allotment of seats for all of them in one portion of the hall. A few DMK councillors pointing to the Mayor’s seat, which was not occupied at that time, asked the AIADMK members to occupy it.

When the AIADMK councillors refused to vacate the seats, the DMK men raised slogans asking them to ‘get out’.

Subsequently, the AIADMK councillors marched towards the Mayor’s chamber and media persons followed them. However, the Mayor’s husband and others from inside the Mayor’s chamber tried to push the media personnel out leaving two of them injured.

Irked over the treatment, other journalists lodged a protest and raised slogans against the Mayor’s husband and his supporters. Finally, the budget session started after a delay of over an hour at 12.40 pm, sources said.