THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A District Development Committee meeting held recently at Collectorate Conference Hall has urged Health Department authorities to conduct surprise checks to ensure cleanliness and proper facilities in school urinals. Committee chairman and District Collector Biju Prabhakar said that special attention should be given by all departments to the panchayats adopted by MPs under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana scheme.
Health Department officials and the District Medical Officer have been told to conduct checks on the quality of school urinals after being alerted that there are no urinals with proper facilities in schools, while those with the required facilities are not being kept open for students.
The committee also decided to take measures on banning tobacco from government offices, as part of controlling tobacco use in the district.
Focus should also be given on developing Kottukal, Anchuthengu, Kallikkadu and Aryanad grama panchayats, adopted by MPs Shashi Tharoor, A Sampath, T N Seema and M P Achuthan respectively, into role-model villages, and by September 20, the departments have to decide on the changes to be made in the panchayats.
These ideas will be presented, along with other issues in a one-day workshop to be held before September 30 and steps will be taken for procedures focusing on the panchayat.
Biju Prabhakar said that a special meet will be held to discuss the follow-up the measures on the sale of owned land on the banks of the Vellayani Lake, following a demand by Jameela Prakasam MLA.
The committee has also urged authorities to restart the concession in city service buses allowed for Vizhinjam school students, after Onam vacations. Health Minister V S Sivakumar’s spokesman Somasekharan Nair requested the authorities concerned to take care of the drinking water crisis at Vazhuthacaud, Jagathy, Arannur and other places, urging the KWA authorities to begin more water dispensing points within the district. The PWD authorities have been advised to cut off the branches of the Kanikonna tree at Kannettumukku which have been hanging in a precarious state.
Biju Prabhakar added that he has requested help from the Forest Research Institute for conducting a ‘Tree Health Survey’.
Sreevalsakumar, spokesman of V Sivankutty MLA said that drinking water is not available in Nemom and Ponnumangalam. The meet decided on taking urgent steps to close the line which carries toilet waste to Kunnakkamukal Kotturkonam lake. Action will also be taken against Forest Department officials in case of damage suffered by tree houses in the Vithura-Ponmudi road, said the Collector, adding that steps need to be taken to ensure that no one uses the houses till the renovation work is completed.
Jaheer Hussain, spokesman of A Sampath MP; Sreevalsakumar, spokesman of V Sivankutty MLA; Rajeev, spokesman of MLA B Sathyan; District Planning Officer T E Shanthi and ADM V R Vinod also attended the meet.