KOCHI: Corporation council meeting on Tuesday witnessed noisy scenes over the Opposition's allegations against civic administration's missing vehicles and failure to control the mosquito menace. The Opposition which conducted a campaign to track missing vehicles had submitted an initial report, and mayor Soumini Jain promised to constitute a subcommittee to trace them. "Though 266 vehicles have been registered in the name of the corporation secretary at the Ernakulam RTO office, according to an RTI document, only 155 are there in the corporation register, and 95 of them are in the workshop for repair," said opposition leader K.J Antony.
"The mayor should take immediate measures with the support of police to track them. Despite having several vehicles, the local body is hiring more than 40 big and small trucks every day for waste removal at an additional cost of Rs 55 lakh every month." Meanwhile, deputy mayor T.J. Vinod replied that many of the vehicles had been sold while few others have to be condemned soon. Though the Opposition also raised the issue of unauthorised construction in Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium and the proposal to set up a Vivekananda memorial at the place earmarked for T.K. Ramakrishnan statue, the mayor failed to give a satisfactory explanation resulting in noisy scenes.
As the Opposition obstructed the council proceedings, Ms Jain adjourned the session. With the civic body continues its apathetic attitude in taking mosquito control measures, the Opposition is planning to conduct a mosquito eradication drive with public support. The LDF councillors with the support of public, NGOs and people's representatives will visit city areas to spray mosquito repellent using hand sprayers.
