Recently, the Corporation removed illegal hoardings. A few days ago, it black listed a contractor for fleecing customers at a parking lot and fined two others for over charging users at public toilets.
The Corporation disconnected illegal water supply lines as well. But these came after the end of the Council’s term on October 24. During the period the Model Code of Conduct was in place, the Corporation similarly removed illegal hoardings and erased graffiti. In 2011, the civic body went a step ahead and sealed very many buildings that were constructed in violation of rules or whose owners had misused the parking lots.
But these ‘go by the rule book’ actions seem to abruptly stop when the Code is lifted or the government or Council is in place and this raises the question why is the civic body not able to go after violators at other times.
Political interference appears to be strong reason, says K. Kathirmathiyon, Secretary, Coimbatore Consumer Cause. As a member of the district Road Safety Committee, he says he was aghast to learn that a Corporation officer failed to act on a decision taken to shift a bus stop on Mettupalayam Road due to political interference.
Though the District Collector, Police Commissioner, Corporation Commissioner and regional transport officers had decided on shifting the bus stop, the Corporation official did not and after a year-and-half cited political interference as the reason. Leave alone that. The officials do not erase graffiti at other times and charge elected representatives for defacing public property, he adds. A former Corporation councillor admits that councillors and elected representatives interfere in all areas of operation of the civic body - building plan approval, water connection, maintenance of bore well connections, running parking lots, toilets and much more.
This action of the officials is just to show that the Corporation has turned efficient after the end of the Council term. If they are sincere in acting against violators and checking illegalities, they should disconnect all illegal public taps that had come up in the last three months or so. And they know where those illegal connections are.
It is wrong to always blame the elected representatives alone. On many occasion, the officials simply cite political interference to cover their inefficiency or complicity in illegalities. A former Councillor says that it is wrong to blame all councillors. Political interference appears to be an excuse for officials to not work. The very officials who are going against violators now were aware all along who they were. None could have prevented the officials from doing their duty. It is just that they are doing it now.
Corporation officers say that political interference is a reality. It is so much strong that officials are discouraged from carrying out even surprise inspections. They want the area councillor, zonal chairperson and the next level of elected representatives to be informed, invited and asked to pose for photographs that too by standing in the front.
There have been instances of elected representatives at various levels shouting down officials for just doing their duty.
But this does not mean that elected representatives are bad or not to suggest that they hinder development. Their interference is welcome but to the extent that public good is not scarified for private interest, Mr. Kathirmathiyon adds.
