An RTI reply has revealed that 31 councillors of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) did not raise a single civic issue during council meetings held over more than three years, raising serious questions about the functioning of elected representatives entrusted with voicing public grievances, as reported in DT Next.
The information was obtained by advocate G.M. Shankar, a member of the Aam Aadmi Party’s Tamil Nadu legal wing, through the Right to Information Act. According to the reply, 31 of the 194 councillors remained silent during all council meetings held between November 2022 and February 2026.
Of the 31 councillors, 27 belong to the DMK, two are from the Congress, one is from the AIADMK and one is an Independent. The RTI response also indicates that most of the councillors who did not raise any issue during the period were women.
The monthly council meetings held at the Ripon Building constitute the Greater Chennai Corporation’s highest civic decision-making forum. Councillors are expected to raise issues concerning damaged roads, stormwater drain works, garbage clearance, drinking water supply, public health infrastructure, parks, land patta grievances and other civic problems affecting residents.
The RTI reply also highlighted absenteeism among councillors during the same period. The highest absenteeism was recorded in May 2025, when 38 councillors failed to attend the council meeting. This was followed by the February 2026 budget session, during which 33 councillors remained absent.
Of the 40 council meetings conducted during the period covered by the RTI, DMK councillor M. Sridharan of Ward 140 recorded the highest absenteeism, missing 10 meetings. AIADMK councillor T. Sathiyanathan of Ward 145 was absent for nine meetings, while DMK councillor P. Logu of Ward 127 skipped six meetings.
According to the RTI response, the DMK councillors who did not raise a single issue during the period were C. Banumathi Chanthru (Ward 14), S. Kanimozhi Suresh (Ward 28), N. Kumari (Ward 40), S. Anandhi (Ward 46), E. Manimegalai Elumalai (Ward 47), V. Vijayalakshmi Vijayakumar (Ward 48), Niranjana Jegadeesan (Ward 51), S. Geetha Suresh (Ward 52), Rajesh Jain (Ward 57), E. Nagarajan (Ward 64), K. Saradha (Ward 65), L. Ramani (Ward 75), K. Porkodi (Ward 85), Nandhini M.A. (Ward 111), V. Eswari Venkatesan (Ward 115), A.R.P.M. Kamaraj alias Dhana Sekaran (Ward 116), P. Thirumalai (Ward 117), Mangai Rajkumar (Ward 120), K. Vimala (Ward 124), P. Logu (Ward 127), B. Karthika Baskar (Ward 132), M. Sridharan (Ward 140), E. Stalin (Ward 144), K. Raju (Ward 155), Devi Jesudoss (Ward 164), J.K. Manikandan (Ward 186) and G. Shankar (Ward 199).
The remaining councillors who did not raise any issue were Congress councillors B. Sumathi (Ward 77) and D. Subashini (Ward 173), AIADMK councillor M. Sridharan of Ward 18, and Independent councillor S. Gomathi Santhosh Kumar of Ward 2.
Shankar said the findings were concerning, particularly because councillors have been receiving a monthly honorarium of ₹10,000 since July 2023 and each ward has been allocated an annual development fund of ₹60 lakh. He stated that councillors should use the remainder of their tenure to raise public grievances and civic issues during council proceedings.
Responding to the findings, DMK councillor S. Anandhi of Ward 46 said she did not raise issues during council meetings because most civic problems were resolved before reaching the council. She stated that complaints were generally discussed during ward-level meetings and, if unresolved, were taken up with the local MLA, former Perambur MLA R.D. Sekar, following which they were addressed.
Repeated attempts to obtain a response from DMK councillor M. Sridharan of Ward 140, who recorded the highest number of absences, were reportedly unsuccessful.
AIADMK councillor T. Sathiyanathan attributed his repeated absences to health issues. He also alleged that some DMK councillors who did not attend council meetings signed the attendance register on the following day despite being absent during the proceedings.
Subscribe to our channels on WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram and YouTube to get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.
