Governor continues review meets with district officials

He is also expected to visit the a few areas in Kanniyakumari, which are severely affected by Cyclone Ockhi on Thursday.

The Governor also undertook a cleanliness drive at the old bus stand and the Palayamkottai localities here, sweeping the area and removing garbage. Officials, including district Collector Sandeep Nanduri and those from the city Corporation, also took part in the drive.

The Governor, who was here in connection with the convocation of the Tirunelvelibased state-run Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, interacted with the public and distributed pamphlets. Later in the evening, Purohit held discussions with Nanduri and other senior officials at the government circuit house here, officials said.

The Governor’s visit to Coimbatore on November 14-15 had kicked up a political row with the DMK and many other opposition parties objecting to him holding a meeting with the district officials.

They had claimed that Purohit’s action infringed on the state’s autonomy, a charge rejected by the Governor’s office and also by Chief Minister K Palaniswami and several of his ministerial colleagues, besides the state unit of the BJP.

DMK working president M K Stalin, leaders of the Congress, CPI(M), CPI, PMK and even deposed AIADMK deputy chief T T V Dhinakaran had flayed the Governor for holding the meeting.

Stalin, who is the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, had alleged that this was an attempt by the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre and the Governor to ‘take away the authority vested by the people’ in an elected government.

Denying the charges, the Governor’s office had last month said the purpose of Purohit’s meeting in Coimbatore was to seek a first-hand input on various welfare and development schemes and programmes and their implementation.

Dismissing the opposition parties’ charge that Purohit was acting at the behest of the Centre as a ‘figment of imagination,’ his office had said he would continue to hold such meetings in the future.

During his visit here, Purohit is also met the public and listened to their grievances. A release from the collector’s office said those who wanted to meet the Governor could do so between 6 pm and 7 pm. The Governor met people’s representatives, political party members and those from voluntary organisations, it said.

Purohit is scheduled to visit neighbouring Kanyakumari district tomorrow and hold discussions with the officials there.