Reporter’s Diary: Even minister’s driver has a say in Corpn business

A few days ago, the civic body had terminated an NGO from running two of its night shelters after an allegation of misconduct. However, the officials, who had taken the action had to face the music from the Chief Minister’s office.

If the talks around Ripon Building are to be believed, one of the secretaries of the Chief Minister tried to help the tainted NGO and lashed out at the civic officials for terminating the contract. The secretary reportedly pressurised the officials to revoke the termination order but in vain, as the top official, who showed some spine, went ahead to terminate the NGO as per the rules.

Meanwhile, field-level officials of the civic body’s Health Department were irked after a car driver of a minister influenced their activity. “When one of our field-level staff impounded a stray cow, he was pressurised to release the cow,” an official riled.

It is said that the owner of the stray cow is a relative of a car driver of a powerful minister in the State cabinet. “Similar incident happened when we penalised a private hospital in Anna Nagar for failing to control mosquito breeding. Orders are coming from elsewhere, but not from the first floor of the heritage building,” he said.