Angamaly Municipal Council witnesses pandemonium

ANGAMALY:  The council meeting of Angamaly municipality on Thursday witnessed uproarious scenes when the Opposition councillors tried to disrupt the proceedings and gheraoed the municipal secretary and the staff members. The councillors alleged that the municipality has not taken any step so far to conduct a Vigilance inquiry into the irregularities in the auction proceedings of the shops under it. The Opposition said the shops under the municipality were given to the members of SC/ST for running business without receiving any advance payments. But these shops were illegally transferred to forward communities.  They had asked the council to conduct a detailed inquiry into the irregularities. The municipal chairman, who had agreed to conduct a Vigilance inquiry at the council meeting on June 24, failed to take any action in this regard. The Opposition protested at the council  meeting demanding Vigilance inquiry at the earliest. But the chairman tried to pass all agendas at the meeting. He declared the agenda were passed and tried to leave the hall which provoked the Opposition. The Opposition councillors reportedly threw the mikes and tried to block the chairman who was saved by the Treasury Bench. In the melee, the chairman and the ruling councillors left the hall. The opposition gheraoed the municipal secretary and other staff inside the council hall. Finally, the police came to the rescue of the municipal staff.  The Opposition members said they would file a complaint before the Vigilance Department.