THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Thiruvananthapuram corporation council meeting on Wednesday witnessed uproarious scenes and debates over the decision to engage a private service provider who had come under the shadow of corruption in the past.
The council turned stormy when the day’s agenda was taken up for discussion, triggering widespread outrage among the opposition members.
The decision to entrust Omega Ecotech Products India to implement the biocomposter project in households drew sharp criticism from the opposition. BJP councillor K Anil Kumar questioned the track record of the company and the selection process.
He said the same company was blacklisted by the Suchitwa Mission for failing to implement kitchen bins in households back in 2017 and later in 2022. Following audit reports against the company, the vigilance had launched an enquiry against the same company, he said.
In response to the allegation, health standing committee chairperson Gayathri Babu explained the selection process by an expert panel comprising officials from the Suchitwa Mission and the health department, besides engineers.
She informed the council that the evaluation was done based on 10 tough conditions and the agency scored better scores than other agencies shortlisted for the project.
Despite stiff protest from the opposition, the ruling council passed the agenda amid the ruckus. Following that, the opposition staged a walkout.