Kerala - Kochi   

Mani bids people of Kochi farewell

Staff Reporter

`Comprehensive development achieved through planned steps'

KOCHI: C.M. Dinesh Mani, who is stepping down from the post of the Mayor of Kochi after five years in office, has said that he believed in the concept ``needs of the city are the needs of society.''

Taking part in a `Face-to-Face' programme organised by the Ernakulam Press Club on Saturday, Mr. Mani said that he had not felt political interference from any parties during his tenure. He said that the council had taken unanimous decisions on major issues like solving the water-logging problem in the city.

Mr. Mani said that this year, his council had been able to control the water-logging that had been plaguing the city for years by cleaning the canals and removing solid waste blocking the water flow.

He said that the preparation of a master plan aimed at comprehensive development through planned steps had been achieved.

However, he said that the major political parties, including the CPI(M) and the Congress were yet to realise the significance of the development of Kochi in the overall development of the State. He pointed out that Kochi should get more of its share from the State Government compared to other cities like Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode. He pointed out that the development projects in the city were yet to gain speed.

Regarding the sewerage and drainage system in the city, Mr. Mani said that the whole system was not yet adequate for the growing needs of the city. The treatment of human solid waste was not yet given adequate importance, he said. The mosquito menace haunting the city was a result of this. He demanded that the Government give proper support for solving the solid waste problem through a concerted effort.

He hoped that the traffic snarls in the city would soon be solved once the overbridges under construction in various parts of the city are completed. However, he did not appear in favour of the proposed Sky Bus project. Expressing doubts about the viability of the project, Mr. Mani said that it was moreover a figment of the artist's imagination.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Boat show a crowd-puller
Mani bids people of Kochi farewell
Creating awareness on waste management
Hundreds donate blood
S.N. Vidya Mandir tops in CBSE youth fete
Bar Council poll: counting from tomorrow
Kaladarpanam anniversary
Lorry stir: bunks run out of stock
Two arrested
Around the City
In Kochi Today

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu