KOCHI: The change of rule in the State will result in leadership change in various agencies under the government.
The Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) is a key agency that undertakes various developmental projects in the Kochi Agglomeration Area, along with the respective local bodies.
N Venugopal, the present chairman of the GCDA, is likely to resign from his post next week, after the new government takes office. Originally, the tenure of Venugopal, a nominee of the Congress party, is scheduled to end at the end of the year.
“The GCDA chairman is expected to submit his resignation next week. After that, the GCDA will be under the administration of the Local Self Government Department (LSGD) secretary, until the government appoints a new chairman,” said GCDA sources, adding that the new chairman will be appointed only after a few months as the CPM leaders will be dealing with important matters in the meantime, including finalisation of Ministers and their portfolios.
“In 2006, M C Jospehine was appointed as the GCDA chairperson nearly one year after formation of the new Government. The current chairman was appointed almost eight months after the 2011 Assembly elections,” they said.
“The various projects initiated by the GCDA need to be taken forward. We hope the new executive council would appoint an able person at the helm of the agency to carry forward the projects,” they added.
The most important work is completion of renovation of the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium at Kaloor, where the UNDER-17 World Cup Football will be held next year.
The other agencies, including the Kochi Metro Rail Limited, are also keenly watching the change in the State’s political scenario. “The Metro Rail authorities are confident that the new government would extend proper support to the project. While the major chunk of phase-I of the project has been completed, various key tasks including phase-II expansion have to be executed in the coming months,” said KMRL sources.