Deputy Mayor Nagarajan releasing Madurai Corporation budget on Tuesday. Commissioner Chitra Vijayan looks on.
| Photo Credit: G. MOORTHY
The Corporation of Madurai, which was convened after three months, ended within about 20 minutes on Tuesday.
With the Deputy Mayor T. Nagarajan, who has been holding in-charge as Mayor, tabled a deficit budget of ₹8.87 crore for the fiscal 2026-27.
Protesting their objections for poor implementation of the Mullaperiyar drinking water project, the Opposition AIADMK walked out of the council hall even before the mandatory Thirukural couplet was read.
As the meeting commenced at 10.30 a.m., Mr. Nagarajan, representing the CPI (M) presided. Corporation Commissioner Chitra Vijayan and senior officials were present.
After Mayor Indrani Pon Vasanth of the DMK submitted her resignation in October 2025, the Corporation accepted the same by convening a meeting. Since then, the council meeting, held every month, was not conducted for multiple reasons.
Following a complaint by the AIADMK that a scam had surfaced in the property tax, the then Commissioner Dinesh Kumar lodged a complaint with the Madurai City Police. A case was registered and the High Court Bench directed the police to form a panel to probe into the allegations. The probe led to arrest of over 15 persons which included Pon Vasanth, the husband of Ms. Indrani.
Following a public interest litigation was filed in the High Court Bench in Madurai, a fortnight ago, the Corporation informed the court that the council meeting would be held on February 10.
The AIADMK councillors led by its leader M. Solai Raja rose up and demanded a response for the ‘failure’ of the mega Mullaperiyar drinking water project launched by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin two months. The DMK members and their allies, who were in full strength, shouted at the AIADMK councillors for creating confusion and asserted that the project was successfully implemented. However, pandemonium prevailed for a few minutes.
The AIADMK also objected to the conduct of ordinary meeting and the budget meeting on the same day. Mr Solai Raja said that normally, prior to the meeting, the agenda containing resolutions would be circulated a day in advance so that the members could raise queries on them before giving their approval.
Likewise, the budget details would be read in the meeting and on another day, it would be taken up for discussion. However, Mr. Nagarajan tabled the budget and the councillors were in the dark about the projects, he said and added that in public interest, they showed their protest and walked out without attending the meeting.
The lone woman BJP councillor Booma squatted on the floor displaying a poster amidst noisy scenes from the DMK and their allies. She was heard demanding action by the local body authorities to give attention to the stray dog menace in the city. The police removed her from the hall.
After a pause, Mr. Nagarajan read out a statement thanking Mr. Stalin for unveiling the statue of Karl Marx in Chennai and urged the Chief Minister to install a statue of N. Sankariah, the founding member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), in Madurai.
The meeting thanked Mr. Stalin for having appointed Sundareswaran, to represent the differently-abled persons in the council.
The council secretary announced that the meeting has been adjourned following which the members dispersed by 10.50 a.m. A total of 131 resolutions were passed unanimously without discussion.
According to the Corporation of Madurai income and expenditure statement for 2026-27, tabled at the council meeting, the local body had registered an income of ₹1450.44 crore against an expenditure of ₹1459.31 crore, thus netting a deficit of ₹8.87 crore.
Published – February 10, 2026 07:46 pm IST
