Under fire on civic work, mayor on sticky wicket

CHENNAI: The city mayor had challenged DMK's M K Stalin on Thursday over corruption allegations but it is Saidai S Duraisamy who appears to be on shaky ground now. Unconfirmed reports that Duraisamy had been asked to resign sent everyone into a tizzy at Ripon Buildings on Saturday.
Sources say the AIADMK leadership is unhappy with Duraisamy, who met some leaders last week."The party secretary and area secretaries were told not to invite the mayor to functions as his workload is heavy," an AIADMK councillor said on condition of anonymity. "Overseeing 200 wards is a lot of work, especially during the monsoon, and they did not want him to attend weddings, birthdays and other events."
Sources in the mayor's office said there was speculation that Duraisamy, who is in Delhi with corporation commissioner Vikram Kapur to receive the India Today Best City 2014 award, would be asked to resign on his return at 10pm on Saturday. When contacted over phone, the mayor said: "There is nothing happening, if there is something I would tell." But he is believed to have told some reporters, "Would you go and ask a dead man if he is dead?"
There was no official statement on the issue but sources in the corporation and party said several reasons had led to the situation. Apart from the poor civic conditions, former mayor M Subramanian's allegations that Duraisamy owns an expensive bungalow in Rajakilpakkam and 'fiddles' over certain mega civic projects have upset the party leadership, they said. "There are factions within the party working against the mayor," a councillor said. "All of us are confused as there are many rumours doing the rounds. But if it is true Amma won't delay it so much."
This controversy comes close on the heels of Dr Vijay Pingale, former joint commissioner, being transferred from the corporation last week.