CHENNAI: The absence of GCC Mayor R Priya during inspections following heavy rain and Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s review at Ripon Building triggered a debate on social media, with questions being raised over her absence amid the civic body’s monsoon preparedness efforts.

The development comes days after Priya presided over a DMK protest against the TVK government, alleging that elected corporation representatives were being sidelined in monsoon preparedness activities.

Deputy Mayor M Mageshkumar also expressed displeasure over what he described as protocol breaches, communication delays and a lack of response from officials. He said he was not invited to Ripon Building during the Chief Minister’s visit.

Criticising the unavailability of civic officials for field inspections, Mageshkumar said requests for inspections were often met with the response that officials were occupied with meetings with higher authorities. He cited an instance in which a request for a morning inspection received a response only in the evening.

Speaking to the media on Sunday morning, GCC Commissioner GS Sameeran acknowledged that the stormwater drain (SWD) network was functioning. Mageshkumar, meanwhile, pointed out that the existing stormwater drain network had been constructed during the DMK regime.

During inspections around 1 am on Sunday, Mageshkumar visited Broadway, Triplicane, Anna Salai and Egmore. Along General Patters Road, he found plastic waste blocking catchpits, potentially obstructing rainwater flow.

He urged the civic body to temporarily increase the number of workers deployed to clear waste and maintain stormwater drains to improve the city’s response to the ongoing monsoon.