After a brief lull, the ‘I’ faction in the Congress has revived its inner party fight by openly demanding the resignation of Deputy Mayor B. Bhadra.
It was during a special discussion on the financial health of the local body at the corporation council meeting that the Congress councillor K.R. Premakumar shocked his fellow councillors and even the opposition members by demanding the resignation of Ms. Bhadra.
The civic administration failed to get any considerable support from the ruling front as a section of the Congress councillors joined the LDF members in unleashing a scathing attack on the administration.
Holding Ms. Bhadra solely responsible for the financial mismanagement and the economic crisis in which the Kochi Corporation has found itself, Mr. Premakumar said the Deputy Mayor had failed in all aspects of financial governance of the local body.
The corporation has failed in collecting its due and increasing revenue collection. Owning up the responsibility for the financial crisis of the local body, the Deputy Mayor should step down, he demanded.
T.J. Vinod, the Congress councillor and the chairman of the Development Standing Committee in the civic administration led by Kochi Mayor Tony Chammany, too carried out a vitriolic attack on the civic administration.
The Kochi Corporation will have to down its shutters when courts pronounce judgements on 135 cases related to claims of land acquisition.
Though the municipal laws suggested that the Finance Standing Committee should carry out a monthly review of the financial position of the local body, no report on such an evaluation was ever placed before the council, he said.
The accounting system of the corporation has collapsed as evident from a document on financial position of the corporation, which was circulated among the councillors.
The local body would require at least Rs.30 lakh a day for smoothly managing its routine business.
The corporation could not implement any of the proposals mooted earlier for improving it’s financial health, Mr. Vinod said.
