Five Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillors staged a sit-in in front of the engineering wing of the city Corporation on Wednesday demanding transfer of assistant engineer, Muhammed Shafeek E., alleging stalling of public works in their wards.
The stir by the councillors representing the Thirumala, Pangode, Valiyavila, PTP Nagar, and Vattiyurkavu wards at 9 a.m. took everyone in the city Corporation by surprise. The functioning of the engineering wing was hit as the office could not be opened owing to the sit-in by the BJP councillors.
Many who came to follow up their cases in the engineering wing had to return disappointed.
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BJP council party leader and Valiyavila ward councillor V.G. Girikumar said the public works in the five wards had come to a standstill owing to the laxity of the assistant engineer and that even small projects were pending for want of his signature. The re-tendering of the public works in these wards had also been hit and Mayor V.K. Prasanth had taken a passive approach to the issue so far, Mr. Girikumar alleged. “We had brought the issue to the Mayor’s notice about three weeks ago. Road works, school maintenance, and other public works were in limbo in our wards,” he added.
Mayor’s promise
Councillors V.G. Girikumar, S. Madhusoodhanan Nair, S. Harisankar, Manju P.V., and K. Komalakumari were adamant on the demand that the assistant engineer be transferred and divested of the charge of their wards. The sit-in was called off in the evening after the Mayor promised the agitating councillors that the charge of public works in these wards would be given to another official.
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