As the city is at the threshold of a huge infrastructure makeover, a major crisis has engulfed the Corporation. With no end in sight to the tussle between the ruling and opposition fronts, even the routine functioning of the City Corporation has come under a cloud.
The ongoing war of words over corruption allegations has taken a new dimension with the UDF-led opposition announcing a complete non-cooperation with the ruling front including boycotting Mayor A K Premajam at public functions. They have also decided to quit all the positions in the golden jubilee celebrations.
The poor implementation of the premonsoon drive and the failure to carryout the necessary maintenance of the drainages, which claimed the life of woman, are the latest examples of the chaotic functioning of the Corporation.
Apparently, the ineffectiveness of the body has started to take a toll on the city’s development prospects. The implementation of the 100-crore sewerage project under KSUDP, aided by the Asian Development Bank, is moving at a snail’s pace. Adding to the woe is the controversy it has landed in following the revelations that the pipes laid for the project were of poor quality. Though Corporation washed its hands by putting the onus on the Kerala Water Authority, residents wonder whether the Corporation has no say given the fact that the Mayor A K Premajam is the chairperson of the city-level steering committee of the KSUDP project. Only around 12 percent of the work has been completed so far.
Though the state government has promised to construct a new plant in Njeliyamparamba, the Corporation has failed to secure the project in time by putting pressure on the government. As the contract of the IL &FS Company that operates the current plant at Njeliyanparambh expires on June 15, the city is left with no other option but to renew the contract for two more years. The same has now landed in another controversy.
What’s more shameful is the fact the Corporation could not even go an inch forward as far as setting up of a slaughter house in the city is concerned. Even after two years, the corporation authorities are yet to identify a suitable location for the project. The newly inaugurated plastic waste treatment is on the verge of shut down as the agency operating the unit could not gather adequate quantity of plastic wastes from the city. The list seems endless.
Terming the Corporation rule as ‘stupidity to the core’, PTS Unni, president of Calicut Chamber of Commerce said, “Both the opposition and ruling front are responsible for the present state of misgovernance in the City Corporation. A good number of projects, whether it is monorail, sewerage or other major development projects, have now taken a backstage following the ongoing mudslinging between the ruling and opposition councillors. When we look at the recent incidents in the council, the Corporation has been reduced to an institution merely for warring and distribution of salary to its employees.”
He further said that the callous attitude of Corporation has first left the Kozhikode city from the JNNURM project and now it threatens to derail more projects. “The development of the city now seems a distant dream. The State Government has announced that the monorail will be implemented in Kozhikode, however hardly any fruitful discussions has taken place here on the implementation of the project. Things are not different either in the case of Sewerage, road development etc.”
“Moreover the authorities have failed to resolve the basic issues. Following the death of a woman after falling in to a drain, we have all seen clamour for taking action. But the fact remains that most of the open drains remains as is. The same is the case with the pre-monsoon drive. We now demand the constitution of a review committee under the aegis of the district administration to look in to the implementation of both the ongoing and the proposed projects.”
He also urged the authorities to hand over various development activities including the construction of drainages, placing slabs over the opens drains etc to the Calicut Development Authority (CDA), that was reconstituted recently by the State Government.
C E Chakkunni, former secretary, Malabar Chamber of Commerce, said that the functioning of the Corporation council is something like that challenges the public.
“The ultimate victim of the wrangling between the ruling and opposition members is the common man. There is a need for a better coordination in the council, unfortunately things are getting worse,” he added.
