THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The war of words between the Thiruvananthapuram corporation and General Education Minister V Sivankutty escalated on Monday with Mayor V V Rajesh launching a sharp counterattack a day after the minister criticised the civic body over waste management and drinking water issues.
Addressing a press conference here, the mayor said Sivankutty is yet to come to terms with the change in administration at the city corporation. Taking a dig at the former mayor and local MLA, Rajesh said that Sivankutty continues to comment and interfere in corporation matters because he is yet to accept the fact that the LDF lost power at the corporation.
The mayor raised concerns over the large-scale water loss in the distribution network from Aruvikkara to the capital. He alleged that nearly 400 litres are lost for every 1,000 litres pumped through the supply network.
“What action did he take to address this issue during his tenure as the minister? The responsibility of drinking water supply falls under the Kerala Water Authority. The corporation is ensuring water supply through tanker service during disruptions,” Rajesh said.
Regarding the ill-lit streets and defunct streetlights, the mayor pointed out that not all lights in the capital fall under the corporation’s control. He said that nearly 2,000 streetlights are maintained by the Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB).
“There are misconceptions about street maintenance. The civic body is directly responsible for around 97,000 streetlights, including those on PWD roads and KSEB posts. There is a provision to penalise contractors if lights remain non-functional for over 48 hours,” he said.
He alleged irregularities in the long-term maintenance contracts awarded by the previous administration.
“There are serious flaws in the contracts which have been given to three companies for a period of 10 years. Any legal dispute over these contracts could lead to prolonged outage. Hence, we are handling it cautiously,” the mayor said.
He also criticised a controversial decision by the previous deputy mayor to lease out the Putharikandam Maidan to a circus company for the 2026 Onam season at a nominal daily rent of Rs 15,000, despite higher offers being available.