Kerala - Kochi   

Corporation to buy 7 cars

KOCHI: The city Corporation has decided to buy seven vehicles, including three Scorpio cars, for the use of top civic authorities.

The proposal, which was passed by the Finance Committee of the Corporation, was moved in the council by Mayor Mercy Williams on Thursday. The proposal was passed at a special council meeting convened to pass the draft project report of the Kerala Development Plan.

The three Scorpio cars will be for the use of chairmen of various Standing Committees of the Corporation. The Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Corporation secretary will be given Ambassador and Tata Indica cars.

It will cost around Rs.50 lakh for the Corporation to buy the new vehicles. The decision of the Finance Standing Committee to buy vehicles was ratified by the Steering Committee of the Corporation.

The decision was taken as some of the cars used by the civic administrators were in bad condition, said Ms. Williams.

The Finance Committee also proposed to sell off the six cars owned by the Corporation, which were not in perfect working condition and to replace them with new ones, said a Committee member.

At the same time, the decision invited criticism even from CPI (M) councillors. K.J. Antony, CPI(M) council party secretary, slammed the decision as “an attempt to insult the people of Kochi.”

“The decision to buy expensive vehicles at a time when the Corporation and the State were passing through difficult times was an insult to the people. The decision was not discussed in any party forum,” Mr. Antony said.

The civic administrators comfortably forgot the plight of the people of Kochi who were forced to travel along the potholed roads of the city. The people of West Kochi were finding it difficult to reach the city as all the roads leading to the city were badly damaged. Most of the city roads had become non-motorable and they were not repaired putting the common man to great risk, he said.

The move of the Mayor to clear the decision at the special council meeting was in violation of the council proceedings. The decision to buy cars could not be considered in a special council convened for the specific purpose of passing the draft proposals. If at all the proposal to buy cars had to be considered, it should come up in the Corporation council meeting after including the proposal in the agenda, he pointed out.

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

Stories in this Section

For a clean Thrikkakara
A new haunt for film-lovers
Property attached
Supplyco plans special bazaars
Hearing in custodial death case adjourned High court Round-up
RPF to revamp security set-up
Corporation to buy 7 cars
Modernisation work over
Suraksha scheme launched Neighbourhood watch
Kumbalanghi declared model tourism destination
One arrested on forgery charge
Kochi Today
Janmashtami award for poet
IMA plea to Government

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu