KOCHI: Coming down heavily on the City Police Commissioner, Mayor Soumini Jain alleged the city police have adopted a lackadaisical attitude to the complaint filed against illegal road-digging.
“Bharti Airtel has illegally dug up the road in several parts of the city as part of laying cables. Though a complaint has been submitted to the City Police Commissioner, the police have failed to take proper action. They haven’t made any arrest in this regard either,” the Mayor alleged during the general council meeting on Tuesday.
She said the complaint against illegal road-digging has also been submitted to the DGP and the Home Secretary.
“If the government and the police fail to take action, we will approach the court for justice,” the Mayor said while responding to councillor P D Martin’s complaint against illegal road-digging. “Since the onset of monsoon, the Corporation hasn’t issued any order permitting the company to dig up the road,” the Mayor said.“This is the third time the company has engaged in such an unlawful activity. If things go like this, we will be forced to take action against the company.”
The company representatives were unavailable for comment, as was the case with the City Police Commissioner.
The Mayor also lashed out against the Corporation staff for their failure to initiate action against a building construction adjacent to the KSRTC bus station.
“Despite such a violation in front of the Corporation, the officers are keeping mum on the issue. The construction, which is under way without a permit from the Corporation, cannot be accepted,” she said, directing the staff to issue a stop memo.
Meanwhile, the council registered its protest against the construction of an underpass at Vathuruthi in the wake of the Southern Naval Command sitting on a file to construct a railway overbridge. The Mayor also informed that the contractor who illegally chopped trees near M G road has been blacklisted.