MLAs, Ministers back in action creating new normal in pandemic

Cutting across party lines, MLAs, ministers and aspiring poll candidates are back to the field attending public grievances ranging from drinking water shortage, sewer overflow, garbage stagnation. With just eight months to go for the assembly polls, MLAs and ministers are also handling and resolving the grievances of party workers.

For instance, at Thiru Vi Ka Nagar in north Chennai, which recorded highest infection rate in May, MLA Thayagam Kavi has begun house visits every day to listen to residents’ grievances like sewer overflow and drinking water issues.

In Chepauk-Triplicane and Tiruvottiyur constituencies, where MLA seats are vacant due to the demise of legislators J Anbazhagan and K PP Samy, the second level functionaries of AIADMK and DMK are now doing the public relation exercise to ensure virtuous mood among voters.

Royapuram legislator and Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar and Virugambakkam AIADMK MLA V Ravi have also started meeting the local public coming with complaints.

Former mayor and Saidapet legislator M Subramanian had also increased the public grievance time at his residence by one hour. “Despite corona pandemic, the school and college admission season is also a major reason that keeps the MLAs busy. On a daily basis at least five students visit the Saidapet MLA camp office seeking college admissions and guidance,” said a DMK functionary in Saidapet.

“For the past three months most of the complaints were directly handled by the Metro Water and Chennai Corporation field staff, but now MLA offices have restarted forwarding public complaints and MLAs are also joining the civic grievances programme,” said a Corporation engineer stating that there also pros and cons when the elected representatives join the civic workers during grievance programmes.

Interestingly, a few Ministers have also reached out to caste outfits asking the office bearers to start the MLA brand promotion work at the grass root. Besides the corona review meetings, the Ministers are also now attending the daily department reviews and inspection programmes related to their portfolio.