The Kozhikode Corporation Council in an emergency meeting on Friday decided to hand over the implementation of some projects that could not be completed in the last financial year to the Calicut Development Authority (CDA).
The Corporation is lagging behind in terms of project expenditure utilisation during 2014-15. If the pending projects are carried over to the next financial year, it will affect project allocations from the State government and hence the pending projects were handed over to the CDA.
The council approved the proposal to fix the CDA as deposit agency and hand over three projects, including the construction of ‘Pakalveedu’ at Kundoopparamba, construction of new building on the old Corporation office premises, and construction of apartment complexes in Valliyekkat colony.
The Kozhikode Corporation has spent only nine per cent of the project allocation in Scheduled Castes category and 23 per cent in general category.
The Corporation had to complete 1,479 projects in the 2014-15 fiscal. The civic body was behind all other Corporations in the State in project fund utilisation.
Deputy Mayor P.T. Abdul Latheef said that the Corporation had many limitations with respect to building construction.
Decision questioned
Many UDF councillors questioned handing over the projects to the CDA. It would not have been necessary if the projects were completed on time, IUML councillor K. Mohammedali said.
Welfare standing committee chairman M. Radhakrishnan admitted that the Corporation was lagging behind in spending allocations for Scheduled Castes.
Janata Dal councillor P. Kishenchand pointed out that many projects under the Panchayat Raj schemes were incomplete and that not even tenders were floated for road works in sector 7. Congress councillor Vidya Balakrishnan sought to check if it was possible to float tenders as per the new estimate.
P.V. Avaran said that some road works were delayed as tenders were not floated even six months after the estimate for repairs were taken up.
The council also approved tenders for various public works projects in the Corporation limits.
Mayor A.K. Premajam chaired the meeting.
Kozhikode behind all Corporations in fund utilisation
‘Tenders not floated for road works in sector 7’
