Special officers likely to be named today

The officers so appointed would ensure the regular functioning of the civic bodies. 

It may be recalled that the High Court cancelled the local body polls on a plea by the Opposition DMK and the government promulgated ordinances enabling the appointment of special officers to discharge the functions of the civic bodies.

The Tamil Nadu Panchayats (Third Amendment) Ordinance 2016, promulgated by Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao on October 17 for further amending the Tamil Nadu Panchayats Act, 1994, has been issued as the term of the present local bodies would expire on October 24. 

The Governor also promulgated the Tamil Nadu Municipal Laws (Third Amendment) Ordinance, 2016, to amend the Tamil Nadu District Municipalities Act, 1920. The ordinance covered acts governing the Municipal Corporations of Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore, Tiruchy, Tirunelveli, Salem, Tiruppur, Erode, Vellore, Thoothukudi, Thanjavur and Dindigul for appointing Special Officers ‘to exercise the powers and discharge the functions’ of the Corporations.

According to sources, a meeting of the State Cabinet would be chaired by Finance Minister O Panneerselvam on October 24. He was given all the portfolios handled by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa following her hospitalisation. “During the Cabinet meeting, the appointment of special officers is likely to be discussed apart from other issues, including the Cauvery,” said the sources. 

After the Madras High Court cancelled the civic polls, the State Election Commission (SEC), in its appeal against the single judge order of October 4, has submitted that as per Constitutional provisions, election must be conducted for local bodies once in five years. In Tamil Nadu the polls should be completed on or before October 24. The High Court had set aside the September 26 notification issued by the SEC for the civic polls and directed authorities to issue a fresh one for holding the election and complete the process before December. 

The Court passed the interim orders on a plea by DMK Rajya Sabha MP RS Bharathy, who challenged the election notification on the ground that rules were not followed and mandatory reservation for Scheduled Tribes was not provided in the civic posts.