More Kochi Corporation services to go online, says Mayor

‘Building tax may be paid online in another six months’

The Kochi Corporation had set in motion a project for the online delivery of its services, with birth, death, and marriage certificates being made available online from September 7, Mayor M. Anilkumar said here on Friday.

This follows the State government sanctioning registration of birth, death and marriage in the Sevana software of Information Kerala Mission (IKM). All hospitals under the Corporation’s jurisdiction have installed the software for the purpose. Data from the software of TCS, which was awarded the contract in 2011 for implementing e-governance in the civic agency, is expected to be ported to the new software.

In addition, Kochiites will be able to pay tax for buildings online in another six months through IKM’s Sanjaya software. Relevant data is being uploaded into the system. A payment gateway system with a choice of 36 banks will be readied. Ownership certificate too will be made available online. Building permit applications have begun to be accepted online from September 15, through the intelligent building management system. Sixty-seven permits were thus issued, said the Mayor.

With complaints pouring in about residential buildings being used for commercial purposes without informing the Corporation, Cochin Smart Mission Limited has been roped in to do field verification.

Potholed roads

On the shoddy condition of innumerable roads owned by the Corporation, Mr. Anilkumar said patch works would be completed within a month using wet mix macadam (WMM). Procuring a pothole-repair machine too was under consideration, and its operation and maintenance could be outsourced, he added.

Flood alleviation measures

Referring to flood-alleviation measures that the civic agency was implementing, he said Irrigation Department officials had been proactively extending help. They had readied a master plan to dredge canals and drains in order to ensure smooth flow of water. Additional Chief Secretary T.K. Jose has been convening weekly meetings of engineers to keep tabs on that. The PWD has been directed to repair and clean its drains.

Taking into account the coordination between different departments and innovative means adopted to tackle flooding, the Kochi Corporation was selected to represent the State in Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav that would be held at Lucknow from September 27. The Cochin Shipyard had agreed to provide CSR funds to procure a robot developed by a start-up that would be deployed to clean drains and culverts, he added.