The Hindu
MANGALORE, Aug 8: The election for the post of Mayor is unlikely to be held in the near future. The current Mayor K. Ashraf's term will get extended unless the Government decides to appoint an administrator.
After the Bharatiya Janata Party - Janata Dal (Secular) Government came into power there has been constant trouble for the Mangalore City Corporation, Congress councillors said. The Mayor's election has been disturbed owing to a change in the reservation.
Women corporators, under the leadership of senior councillor Vijaya Arun appealed to the high court. Government Advocate General Uday Holla had argued on behalf of the Government and was asked to provide the chart of reservation for all the six city corporations.
According to Ms. Vijaya Arun, women did not get Mayor's post in the last five years. She blamed the district Minister B. Nagaraj Shetty for the change in the reservation category.
All development work has been stopped, as there are no elected committees endowed with powers to clear development work. The Mayor is also divested of the power of convening the council meeting. The Mangalore City Corporation is now a truncated civic body.
The corporation that will be 35 years in 2007 will be ready to elect a new council. Former chairman of the tax, finance and appeals committee Naveen D'Souza said there was much work to be taken up particularly in the upkeep of roads, but without an elected committee in office no developmental work could go on.
Leader of the Opposition and senior corporator Shankar Bhat said that the BJP had no role to play in changing the reservation category.
It was the Congress party that had not distributed the posts in a manner that was in accordance with the reservation pattern for the past five years.