Kerala - Kochi   

Councillors grill Mayor, officials

KOCHI: Issues such as the Mayor attending a function organised by an NGO for widows and suspension of a Corporation employee on charges of forgery and fabrication of documents led to heated discussions at the Council meeting held here on Friday.

The Mayor had attended a meeting organised by the All-Kerala Widows’ Association at Town Hall on May 5. Councillors said the invitation sent out by the State president of the association, M.V. Thulasibhai, stated that pension would be issued to eligible candidates only on their joining the association.

Also, those who could not remit the admission fee were asked to return. While the Councillors had told residents of their area that it had nothing to do with the Corporation, the Mayor went on to inaugurate the function, they complained.

In her reply, Mayor Mercy Williams said she did not know about the invitation letter. All she knew was that the association was a registered NGO and it was forming a welfare fund for widows.

The Mayor also released a clarification that pension from the Corporation are disbursed only on completion of two application forms available with the civic body and on recommendations of Ayalkootams and the division Councillor. No fee need to be remitted for that, the release said. After this, the Councillors locked horns with officials regarding the suspension of an employee of the Town Planning Department on charges of issuing occupancy certificate to a builder after forging the signatures of the Corporation Secretary and the Town Planning Officer.

Corporation Secretary Mini Antony said show-cause notices have been issued to officials in Town Planning and Revenue Departments and on the basis of the replies, action would be initiated. However, the Councillors demanded that the last Council session had decided to suspend the official and the Secretary has no right to reverse that decision. The Mayor then told the Council that the previous meeting had not specifically mentioned any official’s name. In reply to one of the Councillors’ question, the Town Planning Officer said that Sixon, a peon with the department, was transferred to Right to Information Cell following the complaint. Following this, Ms. Williams announced that the said peon would be suspended. The Secretary was also made to answer the complaint raised by the Councillors that the posts of librarians are remaining vacant despite many efforts made to fill them. Ms. Antony replied that as no Public Service Commission list of eligible candidates was available, temporary posting could be made only through Employment Exchange with the consent of the Director of Local Self Government. Despite requests, the director has not responded. The pre-monsoon cleaning works of canals have begun. Work at Perandoor canal and the awareness rally were inaugurated on Friday, the Mayor said.

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