Mangalore: The general body meeting of Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat has come a cropper, and as more one exercise in futility by elected representatives of the Tulunadu coastal district.

The chief minister had given a deadline to the Zilla panchayats authorities potholes on roads and asphalt the interior roads in many towns, but his instructions have been disregarded, with a “blame game” in process on less important issues.

Zilla Panchayat chairperson K.T. Shailaja Bhat had told when the meeting begun that members should concentrate on the agenda, and stick to certain points of business on the table.

But a woman member (Y.Alva) diverted the discussion to her own prestige matters and presence on stage during another meeting. Members deviated from development issues, resorting to quarrels for an hour unnecessarily.

Congress members Mamata Gatti and M.S. Mohamed told the arguing members that Zilla panchayat in its 10 months of existence failed to do any major work for want of enough funds. The BJP members accused them of getting a crore of rupees for their projects.

The quarrels took ‘party’ colours thereafter. Yashwanti Alva changed the subject, to talk about how she was sidelined in a Mangalore TP programme, which was outside present agenda of discussion.

The zilla panchayat chief, KT Shailaja Bhat, sensing what was happening, asked the zilla panchayat Engineers to take up road repairs immediately. She explained that she would personally examine each and every road work now.

It was wholly unbecoming of Zilla Panchayat members when there were pressing issues pursuing them, to take up irrelevant “prestige” matters that were not on agenda on Friday.

Revenue matters would be taken up in a special zilla panchayat meeting.