The involvement of Kudumbasree in surveys for various welfare schemes implemented through local bodies yet again led to an uproar in a meeting of the city Corporation council on Tuesday. Councillors of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) staged separate walkouts, leaving only the ruling party councillors to complete the proceedings.
The latest controversy was regarding the involvement of Kudumbasree volunteers in the survey process to identify beneficiaries for the State government’s Livelihood, Inclusion and Financial Empowerment (LIFE) Mission housing scheme. The BJP councillors, who were the first to raise the issue, said the power of the councillors was being undermined as Kudumbasree often bypassed them.
Last year, the council had witnessed a similar controversy when Opposition councillors opposed the involvement of the Community Development Society (CDS) and Area Development Society (ADS) members of the Kudumbasree for welfare pension surveys, accusing the CPI(M) of having a political agenda.
“Earlier too, we had raised the issue of using Kudumbasree volunteers for the Corporation’s survey works, but the Mayor has not given a satisfactory reply yet,” said BJP councillor Girikumar.
LDF councillor S. Pushpalatha alleged that the BJP was trying to scuttle the State government’s housing scheme by raising irrelevant issues. She said no beneficiary has got a house yet under the Pradhan Manthri Awaz Yojana.
The BJP councillors staged a walkout even as the Health Standing Committee chairman K. Sreekumar continued to read out the agenda. Soon, the UDF councillors too left the council hall, criticising the Mayor for not providing them an opportunity to speak on the issue.
Earlier, the Council passed the Interim Development Order, after a delay of a few weeks. The State government in November last had decided to formulate a new master plan for the city within a year. Until then, the interim development order will be in force, to decide on the fate of the building permit applications in the city. To a question by Opposition councillors, the Mayor said that the roads in the city would not come under the purview of the Interim Development Order and would be taken up only in the master plan.
