Opposition protests against mayor’s ‘autocratic’ decisions
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The Opposition walked out of the corporation council meeting on Monday accusing Mayor Tony Chammany of being autocratic in taking decisions such as gifting the corporation’s land in Brahmapuram, where its solid waste treatment plant is situated, to the state government for an industrial project.
The project listed on the Emerging Kerala website, led to an uproar at the council meeting with Opposition councillors strongly objecting to the mayor taking decisions on important policy matters and project proposals without consulting them.
“The mayor is taking decisions without consulting the council on the Emerging Kerala meet. The order to ban vendors from selling food and tender coconuts on the streets during the three days of the investors’ conclave was also given in a very undemocratic manner.
The state government is interfering with the rights of the corporation which is a constitutional body, ” charged CPM councillor, Anil Kumar, also claiming that the proposal for the industrial project published on the Emerging Kerala website was not transparent.
Opposition leader, K.J Jacob, insisted that no project other than the garbage treatment plant should be allowed to come up on the 104 acres at Brahmapuram.
“Minister K. Babu’s recent statement that only 20 acres of land is needed to construct the plant is part of a conspiracy to hand over the rest of the land to big industrial groups.”
The mayor, however, assured the agitated councillors that a final decision would be taken in the matter keeping the interests of the civic body in mind. “Waste treatment is a sensitive iss-ue and the Opposition must not use it as a tool for political controversy,” he said.
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