Public in dark: GCC resolutions not posted online for 8 mnths

Council resolutions are important documents as the civic body cannot allocate funds or make appointments without passing them in the special council. Earlier, when the elected council was in place, the resolutions would be made public the same day when they were passed in the council meeting and uploaded on the Corporation’s official website.

However, the civic body, recently, has begun deviating from this practice and sources say this could be because it doesn’t want to attract debate or opposition. The latest council resolution document available on the civic body’s website was passed in March. Soon after the council resolution was passed, questions were raised on sanctioning a higher amount to procure face masks for employees.

During the past eight months, during the pandemic, the civic body spent several crores of rupees for containment measures and the same would have to be accounted for in the form of council resolutions.

According to the Chennai City Municipal Corporation Act, 1919 no works, minor or major, ought not to be implemented without council resolution. The resolutions are a valid document and could be accepted as evidence in the court of law.

“By keeping the council resolutions away from the public domain, the civic body is preventing the residents from knowing how the money was spent during the period. Meanwhile, the civic body also refuses to declare the amount it had spent for fighting COVID-19,” said an activist on conditions of anonymity.

When asked, a senior official said that the details of spending would soon be out on the website. “However, there is no mandate in the Act to upload the same on the net. The civic body uploads resolutions only to keep the public informed,” he said.