The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Computerised records, ID cards for pension beneficiaries

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 24, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Computerised records, ID cards for pension beneficiaries

Special Correspondent

ID to be prepared by the Information Kerala Mission

Thiruvananthapuram: Beneficiaries availing themselves of assistance from the City Corporation under various pension and social security schemes will soon have identity cards (ID) and computerised records to keep track of their accounts.

Deputy Mayor V. Jayaprakash told the Corporation Council here on Monday that the move to computerise the accounts was to ensure timely disbursement of assistance and check irregularities such as drawing of multiple pensions. He said the identity cards would be prepared by the Information Kerala Mission (IKM) after subjecting the beneficiaries to medical examination.

Mr. Jayaprakash was responding to charges by councillors against a section of employees for the delay in disbursement of pensions. Members cutting across party lines alleged that some officials were insensitive to the problems faced by citizens. They pointed out that files were often shuttled between the headquarters and the zonal office.

Councillors also cited several cases in which files were reported missing for months before they were recovered.

Presiding over the council meeting, Mayor C. Jayan Babu promised to convene a meeting of officials to analyse the reasons for the delay in disbursement of pensions and to take corrective action.

Resolution adopted

The meeting adopted a resolution urging the Government for immediate steps to check waterlogging in the Pazhavangady area. Moving the resolution, Sreekanteswaram ward councillor P. Rajendra Das said the flooding was caused by the blockage of the drain leading to the Amayizhanjan canal. He proposed raising the platform of the city bus station and the reconstruction of the nearby drain to the Thekkanamkara canal.

Councillors pointed out that commuters and traders in the Pazhavangady area were exposed the health hazards caused by the polluted water overflowing from the blocked drain.

Chairman of the works standing committee Rajasekharan Nair said the Irrigation Department had failed to respond to pleas to pump out the accumulated water. Health standing committee chairman G.R. Anil said Health officials had been directed to apply bleaching powder and spray larvicide on the polluted water.

Deputy Mayor V. Jayaprakash stressed the need to remove the encroachments blocking the drain passing through the city bus stand.

The Mayor told the meeting that the Corporation would start pumping out the polluted water from Tuesday morning in view of the health hazards to the citizens.

Sanitation programme

The meeting adopted a decision to extend the Capital City Clean City programme to all the 86 wards. Explaining the action plan, Mr. Anil said the garbage collection system was already working in 47 wards. Seven of the remaining wards would be covered by May 23 and the rest by June 2. "We plan to declare the city waste-free on June 5, World Environment Day," he said.

The council approved a proposal by the Health standing committee to purchase 50 spraying machines for vector control. It also decided to deploy 50 temporary workers in each ward to desilt and clean up the drains and gutters before the onset of the South West monsoon.

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