KOCHI: Noisy scenes and heated arguments over the construction of the RO-RO vessels’ landing terminal at Fort Kochi marked the Corporation council meeting on Saturday. Opposition members alleged corruption in signing the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Cochin Port Trust for construction of the terminal at a cost of Rs 7.15 crore. CPM councillor Benedict Fernandez said that the MoU has been framed in such a way that it will cause additional financial burden to the civic body. “Deviating from normal practice, the Corporation has already paid the total project cost to the Port Trust before completing the works. Since the works have not been completed, the Corporation will have to bear the additional expense for the remaining works like constructing the mooring facility,” he said.
According to Opposition leader K.J Antony, Port Trust authorities’ proposal to construct mooring facility near the shipping channel is not feasible and unsafe. “It is the myopic planning of the civic administration which sabotaged the prestigious project worth Rs 15 crore,” he said. Replying to the debate, Mayor Soumini Jain refuted corruption allegations saying that construction is being done as per the specifications in the detailed project report. “Terms and conditions in the MoU are transparent and nothing wrong in paying the advance amount to Port Trust before completing the construction,” she said. The existing jhunkar service has to be stopped at least for four months to facilitate construction of the mooring facility. Another option is to to construct mooring poles 15 metres away from the vessel landing terminal. “The Corporation is probing the feasibility of the two options,” she said.
