After some councillors at the Kochi Corporation raised issues over a delay in the clearing of files by the Corporation Secretary, the Mayor is likely to write to the State government to resolve the matter.
“We will write to the government asking for the Additional Secretary to be given full charge as Secretary,” Mayor Soumini Jain said. The current Secretary, who holds additional charge of the Regional Joint Director, Urban Affairs, seems to have his hands full, she added.
P.J. Joseph, chairman, tax appeal standing committee, said the current secretary, with the additional charge, had not been able to consistently keep track of work at the corporation.
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“With the additional charge he has, the new Secretary has not been around full time, but nearly all files need to be presented before him. Work at the corporation has been suffering, and files are stagnating in this situation, particularly those of financial matters and all day-to-day activities,” said UDF councillor K.V.P. Krishnakumar.
The Secretary who had held the post till last month had gone into quarantine, after which a new appointment had been made, said Deputy Mayor K.R. Premakumar.
Councillors of the ruling front have been needlessly pointing a finger at corporation officials, said Opposition Leader K.J. Antony. The responsibility for stagnation of work cannot be placed squarely on the shoulders of officials, he added.
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Monthly payments to contractors
At a meeting on Thursday, the Mayor informed the contractors of the corporation, who have been on strike for over a month citing non-payment of crores worth of dues, that monthly payments would be made to them based on the corporation’s revenue. “Now that bill collectors have been stepping out for tax collection, revenue is likely to improve. At the same time, expenses are on the rise. For the nine COVID first-line treatment centres being readied within the corporation limits, we have spent around ₹4 crore and have been asked to recover the amount from the Plan Fund,” she said.