The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : Corporation in a bind over privatisation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Nov 29, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

Corporation in a bind over privatisation

By Our Staff Reporter

COIMBATORE, NOV. 28. The Coimbatore Corporation is caught between Government guidelines on privatisation and an unyielding Opposition.

It is keen on privatising a couple of core municipal services such as solid waste management and street lighting but the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in the Council is facing resistance from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led Opposition.

That the Corporation is in a bind over privatisation came to light when the Mayor, T. Malaravan, agreed to the Opposition's demand for partial privatisation of streetlight maintenance. At the recent all-party meeting, it was decided to leave out North Zone and privatise maintenance in the other three zones.

Government stand

However, it is learnt that the Government has made it clear that either it is total privatisation or no privatisation. Sources in the Corporation said civic officials themselves were surprised by the decision taken at the all-party meeting that unlike last time one zone alone would be left out this time.

Under the previous contract, the private operator did both procurement of accessories and maintenance (including switching the lights on and off). Following allegations of overpricing of accessories, the Opposition called for changes to the system to prevent irregularities.

They suggested that the Corporation should procure the accessories, stock these at its offices and distribute them to the private parties whenever required.

But, the private operators should be given the task of operating the lights and carrying out maintenance works.

Though the Government guidelines did not provide for this, the Opposition insisted that the change must be made to prevent irregularities.

But, at the all-party meeting, they agreed to go by the guidelines. However, they demanded that one of the zones be excluded totally from privatisation, to try out whether the Corporation itself could carry out the entire exercise.

Resistance from conservancy staff

But, sources said, the Opposition's joy was short-lived. Having come to know of it, the Government was believed to have told civic officials here that there could no deviation from the guidelines.

As a consequence, North Zone would also be privatised.

The other area where the Corporation faces stiff resistance to privatisation is waste management.

A section of the conservancy workers staged a demonstration in the city on Thursday to oppose the proposed privatisation of waste management in South Zone as a pilot project.

Reflecting the opinion of the Opposition, the leader of the CPI in the Council, R. Devaraj, contended that privatisation would only breed corruption and not ensure good service to the people.

He contests the opinion in the civic body that only privatisation could help in waste management, as the civic body faced shortage of sanitary workers.

"We have 2,457 permanent conservancy workers and there are 300 vacancies. These can be filled by regularising 300 of the 400 badlis (temporary workers). This will be sufficient to carry out problem-free waste management."

As for streetlight maintenance in North Zone, he said the Opposition wanted at least one zone under total control of the Corporation so that that it knew full well about the system.

"We do not have to believe whatever the private operator says. If one zone is with us, we can compare the costs and this will help check irregularities."

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