No ban on mobile phones at MCC, but Mayor lays down restrictions

Mangalore, February 18: The use of mobile phones during the council meetings became an issue of debate at the Mangalore City Corporation council meeting, with majority of the members demanding restriction on the use of the modern communication gadget.

Initiating a discussion, former mayor K Ashraf demanded that use of mobile phones should be banned inside the house as it had become a huge nuisance.

He urged mayor Praveen to pass a ruling banning use of mobile phone in the house, a suggestion which evoked support across party lines. However, there were dissenting voices also. Mariamma Thomas and some others pointed out that a blanket ban on use of mobile phone during the session would deprive them of a communication tool in the event of an emergency.

“This will also create a wrong impression among the voters, who would think that their calls are being deliberately left unanswered,” she said, with several nodding in support.

But, Ashraf, supported by some other members, said that the calls can be answered once the meeting was over. “You can also inform them that you were attending the council meeting,” he added.

After a few minutes of animated discussion, the Mayor gave his ruling and laid some restrictions on use of mobile when the council is in meeting. "The mobile phones should be kept in the silent mode. Let members use mobile phones, but should go out of the house if they want to make or receive calls," he said.

Eariler, corporators, cutting across political lines, blamed officials for not ensuring proper supply of drinking water.

Members from BJP, the ruling party, Congress, JD(S) and CPI(M) alleged that water supply was being disrupted frequently in their respective wards. Earlier, member from Congress Lancelot Pinto had raised objection to MCC's decision to disconnect public taps in the city. "Many poor families, who live in rented houses in the city, use public taps for their daily water requirement. The city corporation officials should make alternative arrangements for those families, who use public taps, before disconnecting it," he demanded.

Members Mariamma, Vijayakumar Shetty, Nagendra, Harinath, Abdul Azeez, Shashidhar Hegde and others too criticized officials for not ensuring proper water supply. CommissionerHarish Kumar said that the city corporation would have to disconnect the public taps and fix meters to all water supply connections to qualify for getting a Rs 2,000 crore grant underJawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM).

"There should be no public taps, no illegal water supply connections and 24x7 water supply should be ensured to all connections, which have meters compulsorily as per the norms of JNNURM. Hence, the city corporation will have to continue the drive against public taps and illegal water supply connections. However, we will disconnect those public taps, which is being used by many poor families, only after providing legal connections to all of them," he said.

Harish said that there is no scarcity of water in the city, but due to the shifting process and other technical reasons supply was being disrupted in some areas.

"A special meet in this regard will be convened by the mayor soon," he added.