Holding placards, Corporators and MCC staff staging a protest in front of MCC this morning.

Mysore/Mysuru: What next without the captain? This was the question in the minds of protesting Corporators, Pourakarmikas, UGD workers and office staff of the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) who stuck work this morning in protest against the resignation of their Commissioner Shilpa Nag. 

All the COVID work and the routine office administration work came to a grinding halt at the MCC as four protests — by Corporators, Pourakarmikas, UGD workers and office staff — were organised at the MCC office on Sayyaji Rao Road. Only the morning cleaning work was done and rest of the work was suspended. A banner saying — I Stand with our Commissioner has been tied to the poles of the portico of MCC main building.

Assembling inside the MCC, all Corporators and former Mayors vouched support for Shilpa Nag and urged the Government not to accept the resignation. They set aside their party affiliations and criticised Deputy Commissioner Rohini Sindhuri for adopting a step-motherly attitude towards Mysuru city. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Mayor Anwar Baig, who is the acting Mayor now. 

“We are with the Commissioner is the message that we want to send to the Government. Shilpa Nag has done exemplary work ever since she took charge and she has taken all Corporators into confidence,” Baig said. 

Seconding him were former Mayors Ayub Khan, Arif Hussain and many Corporators. “We are without a captain now. Be it COVID work, COVID Mitra, Telecare facility, Ward-wise Task Forces, door-to-door survey, we are achieving good results and all credits must go to the MCC Commissioners. Unlike other Commissioners who had adopted a partisan attitude, Shilpa Nag has taken us all together and is leading the fight,” they said. 

The entire MCC machinery is involved in door-to-door delivery of medicines, all kinds of surveys and usage of funds. “The Government must not accept the Commissioner’s resignation and instead transfer the DC for harassing Shilpa,” they demanded. Corporators B.V. Manjunath, Shivakumar, S.B.M. Manju and several others spoke in support of Shilpa Nag. 

On their part, Pourakarmikas and UGD workers expressed solidarity with Shilpa Nag for providing services like free breakfast, free bus service for pickup and drop for work, Rs. 5 lakh relief announced for next of kin of Pourakarmikas who fall victims to the virus, health check-up and other facilities including vaccination drives. “Mysuru will not achieve anything unless you lead us,” they said, holding placards and posters. 

Issue gone beyond my jurisdiction: Dist. Minister 

Meanwhile, Mysuru District Minister S.T. Somashekar refused to comment in detail about the discord between the DC and the MCC Commissioner. “Chief Secretary Ravikumar is coming to Mysuru today and the issue has been brought to the notice of the Chief Minister. My only focus is to make Mysuru COVID-free as after Bengaluru, Mysuru has the highest number of cases. Moreover the issue between the two officers has gone beyond my jurisdiction,” he said. 

“I am hurt by these developments and I will not go against the people of Mysuru and I honour their sentiments. We are all doing honest work amidst pandemic and such developments must not harm the overall COVID work,” Somashekar said after garlanding Nalwadi statue.

Chief Secretary holds

State Chief Secretary P. Ravikumar, who arrived in Mysuru today, is holding a progress review meeting on COVID control with all district-level officers at Administrative Training Institute on Lalitha Mahal Road. Deputy Commissioner, City Police Commissioner, Superintendent of Police, Zilla Panchayat CEO, MCC Commissioner, District Health Officer, Dean and Director of Mysore Medical College and Research Institute, District Surgeon, Nodal officers of vaccination, oxygen supply, RT-PCR tests, bed management, District Drugs Controller and  Health Surveillance Officer have been asked to attend the meeting, according to a notification issued by Regional Commissioner of Mysuru  Dr. G. C. Prakash.