Area Sabhas fall short as residents remain unaware of meetings; councillors flag fund crunch

Area Sabhas fall short as residents remain unaware of meetings; councillors flag fund crunch Chennai Area sabha meetings across various divisions in Chennai have drawn criticism over lack of prior public communication. S. Vishanth, an Ennore Solidarity Group activist, stated that meetings in his area saw only around 10 attendees, unlike usual participation, and that information regarding proceedings was not widely disseminated. K. Shanmugam, president of the Federation of North Chennai Residents’ Welfare Associations, noted that communication was absent across multiple areas, particularly in Manali and Mathur, where residents were not informed and associations received no details. He added that voter enthusiasm for local body elections next year would depend on citizen participation and engagement. Krishnakumar, a resident of Indira Nagar in Adyar, stated that he received no communication from local councillors regarding area sabha proceedings and was unaware of how communications were handled.