Mayor Tony Chammany seeks VS Achuthanandan's help on ‘Smart City’ logjam

KOCHI: Mayor Tony Chammany will approach opposition leader VS Achuthanandan and CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan to break the logjam over conducting a special session of the corporation council on Smart City mission.

The special session convened on Friday was washed out due to LDF protest demanding a judicial probe in Fort Kochi Boat tragedy.

A special session has be convened at the earliest as the council needed to discuss and finalise the action plan for Smart City Mission within the deadline, the mayor said in a release. “I hope, the CPM leaders would support our efforts to make Kochi included in the Smart City Mission,” he said.

Mr. Chammany will also convene a meeting of representatives of political parties and standing committee chairpersons on Tuesday to resolve the stalemate.

The meeting will seek cooperation of all council members to conduct the special session on Smart City Mission and to approve its action plan.

The Special council meeting on Smart City will be held on Wednesday September 23.

If the Smart City action plan is not discussed and documented before the announcement of local body polls, the city might miss the chance to be included in the Centrally-funded scheme.

The civic body has to submit the proposal after holding various rounds of stakeholders’ consultation, before the international jury by mid-December.

The UDF women councilors are planning to approach the State Human Rights Commission against the LDF members who held them captive for 11 hours in council hall.