Kozhikode: The feud between the ruling and Opposition councillors in the Kozhikode Corporation over putting up streetlights on major roads has taken a new turn, with Mayor Thottathil Raveendran accusing the UDF councillors of trying to sabotage development activities.
Speaking to reporters here on Tuesday, the Mayor said Congress, IUML, and BJP councillors were making false charges of corruption against the council in the streetlight issue.
Earlier in the year, the council had detected anomalies in the contract between the corporation and a private party on putting up streetlights on six major roads. UDF councillor P. Kishenchand had then pointed out that certain specifications in the contract were quite different from those approved by the council based on the expression of interest by the said party.
The Corporation Secretary had conducted an inquiry into the matter on the Mayor’s order and had found that it was a mistake on the part of officials who had drafted the contract. The council then directed the Secretary to take appropriate action against errant officials.
However, the Opposition councillors then demanded that the contract be cancelled. However, the Mayor did not agree to it, leading to stormy scenes in the council meeting a few weeks ago.
“The said party was selected by the council as their’s was the best offer. According to the present council policy, if the council approved a tender, it is up to officials to take further steps. It was the Deputy Secretary who signed the contract on behalf of the corporation. Hence, there is no point in the charges that the council was responsible for the anomalies,” the Mayor said.
He added that the corporation had incurred no financial loss in the case. The legal advice is to make sufficient changes in the contract before going ahead with it. Hence there was no need to cancel it, the Mayor clarified.
The absence of streetlights on important roads had been a major point of debate in the council in the previous financial year and hence, the contract for setting up and maintenance of streetlights. “The issue of streetlights in the city will be over if the project is implemented. But the UDF and the BJP are trying to sabotage it,” the Mayor alleged.