Drinking water scheme for city soon: Mayor

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, MARCH 13. The Mayor, Ms. J. Chandra, today announced here today that the City Corporation would implement a comprehensive drinking water supply scheme covering the entire city. Rounding off the general discussion on the Corporation Budget for the year 2001- 2002, she told the Council that the project would be implemented within a period of one year.

The Opposition UDF members stormed into the well of the Council hall during the Mayor's speech and raised slogans against the Budget. Earlier during the debate, the ruling and Opposition benches traded charges and indulged in heated exchanges. A major part of the session degenerated into political mudslinging with no meaningful discussion.

In her speech which was drowned by the slogan-shouting, the Mayor announced an enhanced outlay for the new wards which were annexed to the Corporation from five suburban panchayats. In addition to the general allocation, the new wards have been sanctioned Rs. 1 crore for public works and Rs. 50 lakhs each for water supply and electricity.

Ms. Chandra said the Corporation would evolve an action plan for the development of the coastal areas. She also announced a housing scheme to cover all the homeless Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe families in the city within one year. The Mayor said one lakh women would be brought under the 5,000 women's self-help societies to be set up.

Earlier, the UDF council party leader, Mr. K. Maheswaran Nair, said the LDF rule during the last five years had left the Corporation with a huge debt burden and paralysed development activities. He said the Corporation had spent only Rs. 40 crores in the previous year against a budget outlay of Rs. 121 crores.

Mr. Nair said the Corporation had failed to identify new revenue sources or find means to clear the arrears due to contractors. He said many of the projects mentioned in the Budget were mere repetitions of unimplemented proposals from the previous years. He added that many of the grandiose schemes announced in the Budget were unworkable.

Participating in the debate, the Manacaud ward councillor and Finance standing committee member, Mr. Chalai Mohanan, called for seeking new revenue sources. Pointing out that the Corporation was struggling to make both ends meet, he said the 40 per cent Plan funds devolved from the State Government had become crucial for development projects.

"Devoid of the Government's share of Plan funds, the Corporation can just about meet the salary and day-to-day administrative expenses. The only solution out of the precarious financial situation is to identify new revenue sources," he said.

The CMP councillor, Mr. M. P. Saju, representing the Gowreesapattom ward said the Budget had no proposals to make up the liability of Rs. 17 crores incurred over the last years. He termed the Budget as a pack of hollow, impractical proposals, Mr. Saju demanded the setting up of a councillor's fund to undertake emergency works at the ward level.

The NCP councillor, Mr. Palayam Rajan, said the LDF rule during the last five years had ushered in a development culture. He accused the UDF of adopting an irresponsible attitude. Terming the Budget as a bid to hoodwink the people, the Vallakkadavu councillor, Mr. Xavier Lopez, said it had ignored the fisheries sector and the coastal wards.

The Anamughom councillor, Mr. Kadakampally Mohan, (CPI), called on the Opposition to put aside political differences to work for the development of the city. He demanded enhanced outlay for the new wards annexed to the Corporation from former panchayats. Describing the budget as old wine in a new bottle, the Mannamoola member, Mr. Rajan, said it was framed with an eye on the forthcoming Assembly elections.

The PDP member, Mr. Poonthura Siraj, stressed the need to address the unscientific tax structure following the merger of five panchayats to the city. He called for unifying the taxes in the city wards and the areas annexed from the adjoining panchayats.

The meeting witnessed a storm of protest from the LDF benches when three UDF members on the Finance standing committee tried to oppose the Budget proposals. LDF leaders said the Opposition members had no right to oppose the Budget on the floor of the Council after having approved them at the standing committee meeting.

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