THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Alleging total failure on the part of the mayor and officials in coordinating COVID prevention efforts and preventing water-logging in the city, BJP district unit has claimed that the civic body is being indirectly ruled by newly-elected CPM MLAs.
"The number of patients in the second wave of the pandemic is much more than the first wave. The community kitchen has not yet started functioning," said BJP district president VV Rajesh, who is also the leader of the Opposition in the corporation.
According to the BJP leader, the COVID control room has directed councillors to spend from their own pocket to feed the needy in their wards. Another direction is to use autorickshaws to ferry patients without taking any steps to disinfect the vehicles.
Due to the COVID scare, autorickshaw drivers are refusing to go on a trip even in emergency situations. "Due to the lack of the routine pre-rainfall cleaning initiatives, most parts of the city were flooded just in a day's rain," said the councillor of Poojappura ward.
He said the civic body has just two earthmovers for 100 wards. The Corporation was also not taking any steps to hire earthmovers for cleaning the drains, forcing people to suffer severe waterlogging. The BJP leader alleged that Mayor's lack of experience was taking a toll on city residents.