The Kochi Corporation council has passed a unanimous resolution marking strong protest against the treatment meted out to the Mayor during the stone laying ceremony of the Kochi metro rail held earlier in the month. The council has decided to send letters to the offices of the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister regarding the issue. The councillors from all sides of the political divide reacted strongly, with many alleging that the disrespect meted out to the first citizen of the city is tantamount to insulting the city itself.
As per the invitation for the function, the Mayor was to present a vote of thanks. However, at the venue, he was not invited for the ceremony. Even the councillors, as the elected representatives of the corporation, were relegated to the general category space behind the VIP and the Guest of Honour slots, the council pointed out.
Another issue that met with widespread criticism at the council meeting was the laying of the pipelines under the JNNURM-KSUDP scheme. The councillors alleged that when the roads were dug up in February, it was assured that the laying of the pipelines would be completed within three months. However, the project is no where near completion till date.
The councillors alleged that in some areas, the roads were dug up and left open, and in some cases, the pipes worth crores of rupees were simply dumped on the roadside. The contractors have alleged that the roads are too narrow for the pipes to be laid down, and in other cases, the reckless nature of the undertaken work has led to the damage of property, drawing heavy criticism from the residents. The Mayor said that a meeting would be convened with the various stakeholders on September 25.
Allegations have also sparked off against the Town Planning Committee and the Mayor for the alleged discrepancies in leasing out the advertisement space for a private company on the city’s lamp posts along the stretch from the Madhava Pharmacy Junction to Pallimukku . The opposition councillors alleged that the private party had paid an advance of
`10 lakh only without making any further payment agreement with the corporation. The councillors alleged that the corporation has faced an estimated loss of `58 lakh in the deal. The Mayor said that the issue will be examined in detail by the Town Planning Committee, the Finance Committee and the Steering Committee and appropriate action will be taken against those found guilty in the deal.
The failure to curb the mosquito as well as stray dog menace also received widespread criticism. The councillors alleged that the fogging machines worth crores of rupees were now rusting away in the various health circle offices of the corporation. A resolution was passed by the council to strengthen the fogging operations.
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