Even four years after the Chennai Metropolitan Corporation (CMC) elections ended, 157 mayors, deputy mayors and council members have not submitted details of their assets. This information came out under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. This revelation has raised questions on the issue of transparency and accountability in the local body.
Aam Aadmi Party’s legal wing manager M. Shankar had sought information related to the assets of corporation members under RTI. Based on this, the Corporation sent them a reply and it was revealed that 157 officers had not been able to submit the details of their movable and immovable assets on time.
Under the Municipal Corporations Act, 1973, candidates contesting local body elections are required to submit details of their assets to the Corporation Commissioner within 90 days of the end of the elections. Moreover, every member has to update it by 31st March every year. This detail should be publicly available, so that the public and other monitoring agencies can keep an eye on it.
Sources say that this time after this information came to light through RTI, many people have expressed concern over the administrative structure and adherence to rules. This detail is considered very important to maintain transparency and prevent corruption.
M. Shankar said that the absence of asset details of local body leaders is a matter of serious concern. He said that following the rules and making public information available is not only a legal obligation but also a mark of accountability towards the public.
Experts believe that not submitting property details after local body elections is not only a violation of law, but it also increases the possibility of corruption and lack of transparency. This case is a serious signal about the accountability of leaders in Chennai Metropolitan Corporation.
Sources said that questions may also be raised on the role of both the corporation administration and the Election Commission in this matter. This situation persists without monitoring and timely follow-up by the responsible authorities. According to experts, with this information coming out through RTI, the public and monitoring organizations will now get the basis for action.
After this revelation, the public and media have also taken up this issue seriously. People say that the property and financial information of local body leaders should be made public, so that transparency and accountability can be ensured in democracy.
In the coming time, it will be important to see what action the administration takes on this issue and whether necessary action is taken against those 157 officers or not. The case will also focus on new rules and monitoring mechanisms to maintain transparency and accountability in local body elections.
