The Indian Express
 
Mangalore, Jan 20: Like the proverbial dark clouds having a silver lining, the unusual delay in formation of the Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) council has saved the MCC’s exchequer of expenses to the tune of Rs 8 lac.

Six months have passed after the Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) handed over the baton to Deputy Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao.

And though elections had been held, the reins of administration still remain with the DC. The non-existence of a council has saved the exchequer with expenses to the tune of Rs 8 lac.

According to statistics made available to this website's newspaper, MCC pays around Rs 1.3 lac per month to its mayor and corporators which include honorarium, vehicle, meeting and council allowances.

While the mayor was paid Rs 4,000 per month as honorarium, 60 corporators were paid Rs 1,500 each per month. The deputy mayor received Rs 2,500 per month.

These statistics would have increased four-fold if the government had notified a resolution of the previous council recommending a fat pay package for the corporators, sources said.

For the past six months, the MCC has been spared of a burden to pay honorary cash and remunerations as there was no elected body in power.

The Corporation had spent Rs 3,87,600 during the period from January to March 2007 towards honorarium, vehicle, meeting and council allowances.

The BJP which won the MCC elections held on September 2007 failed to take charge as the reservation roaster system for mayors’ post in the state was not made public by the government.

The MCC election results declared on September 30, dealt a severe blow to the Congress and was in favour of the BJP which won 36 wards. But three months and eighteen days have passed, the mayor post remains still elusive.

BJP corporator Shankar Bhat told this website’s newspaper that their party would launch its agitation against the delay in announcing the reservation list from January 21 onwards.

A protest would be organised in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office on January 21, he said adding; “we have people’s mandate to rule the corporation, but still our rights are denied for no fault of ours.”

The agitation would be intensified statewide in later stages, Bhat said adding that the party would also approach the court seeking justice.