No teamwork, says opposition

KOCHI: It seems that loads of false promises made by the Kochi corporation council have made the city laden with insurmountable difficulties. Though the Kochi Corporation council has almost completed one year, most of these promises remain unfulfilled. To add fuel to the fire, the rift between various groups within the civic body has aggravated the issue. Most of the councillors are of the opinion that the council could not come up with any new projects other than what the previous council had initiated. Besides, the stiff defiance the Mayor faces from within his own group is yet another major impediment. K J Jacob, Opposition leader said that the Kochi Corporation still could not resolve the most serious and grave issue which has been plaguing the city for quite a decade - the traffic congestion. No steps have been initiated to repair the potholed roads. “They had conducted a conclave to resolve the issue. We appreciated and welcomed such an effort. But what about the implementation of the reports submitted after the conclave. They did nothing to alleviate the potholed roads. Though the repair of the roads are on, there is no proper monitoring,” said K J Jacob, Opposition leader. He said that this year’s council could not come up with any new projects other than what the previous council had initiated. The rift between various groups within the civic administration has aggravated the issue.Elamakkara Councillor M Anil Kumar of the LDF said the Mayor could not bring about a spirit of team work which is a prerequisite for an efficient rule. the stiff defiance the Mayor faces from within his own group is yet another major impediment. “The opposition raised by some of the Congress members has always been a ball and chain for the Mayor. Owing to this, the present council has landed in many controversies,”he said. The Central Government has been allocating funds for various projects. But the corporation is  not using it judiciously. “To renovate Mamangalam - GIDA Road, the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) has already allotted funds. So far no steps have been initiated in this regard and if the funds are not utilised in time, they would lapse. Anil Kumar said that Kochi is stinking due to the corporation’s inefficiency in handling the sewage issue. “The Kochi Corporation is in possession of hundreds of acres of land. Crores of rupees have been spent on it. Instead of rectifying the problems at the existing waste treatment plant at Brahmapuram, the corporation authorities are trying to build yet another plant,” he said. Cheralai councillor Shyamala Prabhu of the BJP also voiced the same argument. ”Most of the projects they are working on currently were started by the previous council. They are not even able to complete it. They claim that they have undertaken many programmes which were included in the Chief Minister’s 100-day programme. The results are yet to be seen,” she said. She vehemently refuted the argument that the Kochi corporation has initiated substantial steps to renovate the roads.