Factional feud in the Congress in Kochi Corporation Council reached an unprecedented level with the ‘I’ faction councillors walking out of the meeting after unleashing severe criticisms against Mayor Tony Chammany.
Though the faction had been at loggerheads with the civic administration demanding change of guard at the civic body, they had till now desisted from any form of open protests against the Mayor, an A group nominee. The faction chose the council meeting on Tuesday to vent their ire in a united and public manner.
The faction leaders criticised the civic administration led by the Congress of failing to perform and address the issues the city was facing. They also alleged that the administration was a total failure in all aspects of governance.
Leading the attack against the civic administration and the Mayor, Development Standing Committee Chairman T.J. Vinod said that the corporation was in a deep financial crisis. He wanted the civic administration to convene a meeting to find a way out of the crisis. He also took exception to the Mayor’s stand against actor Jayasurya for levelling the potholes on the city roads.
Leno Jacob, another councillor, said that the administration had failed in implementing welfare, infrastructure and development projects in the city. It’s the corporation councillors who have to face the public ire owing to the poor performance of the civic administration, he said.
K.R. Premakumar said that the councillors will act as a corrective force in the council if the Mayor refused to improve the functioning of the administration. The faction councillors also fond fault with the civic administration for the badly damaged roads and its failure to repair them.
The faction members including the two Standing Committee Chairpersons, Mr. Vinod and Ratnamma Raju, later walked out of the council meeting.
In his reply, Mr. Chammany said the corporation was in deep financial crisis. It required at least Rs. 9 crore annually for lighting the street lamps.
The general works grant from the State government is due for the past three months. Though the corporation was planning to raise Rs. 10 crore as overdraft for paying the arrears of the corporation contractors, the State government had offered funds. Hence the proposal was kept in pending, he said.
A special meeting of the council will be convened shortly to discuss the government proposal for increasing the floor area ratio in Kochi. The civic body will approach the Kochi Metro Rail Limited for compensation for the eight cents it had surrendered for the rail project. The Ernakulam and Mattanchery Town Halls will be renovated this year, he said.
