The city Corporation Mayor has entrusted the Corporation Secretary to inquire into allegations of corruption against two revenue inspectors. In a council meeting held on Friday, councillors accused the inspectors of making the public run from pillar to post to get various certificates and then demanding money for the same.
Arannur councillor and Education Standing Committee chairman S.Unnikrishnan was the first to raise corruption allegation against a revenue inspector. According to him, some residents of his ward who had approached the revenue inspector for residential certificate and other similar purposes, had to pay money to get things done. He said that a few corrupt officials are giving a bad name to the majority of sincere employees in the local body.
Soon, opposition councillors too joined in, with UDF councillor Johnson Joseph saying that he and four other councillors had given a signed letter to the Mayor, against the said revenue inspector, demanding her to be shifted out of their zone. Mayor V.K.Prashant said that she was shifted to a different place following that letter, and the current allegations have cropped up from this new location.
BJP councillor Karamana Ajith levelled similar allegations against another revenue inspector. The Mayor asked the Secretary to inquire into both allegations and present a report in the next council meeting. He asked the councillors to henceforth raise all such allegations in the council meeting, so that corrective measures can be taken.
The council also decided to take stock of the cost-effectiveness of the existing street lights in the city, with 120 students pursuing the wireman and electrical courses at Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) to be roped in to undertake a study to assess various factors, including the type of lights, current situation as well as the width of adjoining roads. The survey will begin on November 1, and will be completed over a period of one month. The students will be provided a stipend of ₹6,000. Though some of the opposition councillors, questioned the need for such a survey, it was later passed by the council.
