DMK, CPM councillors spar over MP's ‘garbage city' remark

Time of India

5 days ago

Madurai: A brief but tense exchange marked the Madurai corporation council meeting on Tuesday after
DMK
councillors objected to Madurai MP Su Venkatesan's recent remark describing the city as a "garbage city" following its poor ranking in the Swachh Survekshan 2024–25 survey.
The comment drew sharp criticism from DMK members and sparked a verbal spat with CPM councillors, who defended the MP.
Raising the issue, DMK councillor M Jeyaraman (Ward 58) said the MP's comment undermined the efforts of corporation staff and elected representatives. "He does not visit the field to understand ground realities. He won from Madurai with DMK's support, and now he speaks against us," he said.
CPM councillor Kumaravel countered that the MP was actively involved in civic issues and well-informed on ward-level matters.
"Instead of blaming him, we should work together ahead of the assembly elections," he said. When DMK councillor P Kajendra Kumar (Ward 21) asked Kumaravel to lower his voice, the exchange briefly escalated before being brought under control by mayor Indrani Ponvasanth.
Addressing the house, the mayor said the Swachh Survekshan report was flawed and that the corporation had reapplied with revised data. "We were disappointed by the MP's remark, especially after our efforts during events like the Chithirai festival and Jallikattu, where cleanliness was widely appreciated," she said.
She also alleged that the central government's ranking process was biased. "Madurai was unfairly placed at Rank 40, just below Chennai, despite clear improvements," she said, adding that the corporation would continue to work on improving sanitation and service delivery.
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