THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Banking on the various ongoing activities under the many Centrally-sponsored schemes like the JNNURM, KSUDP, BSUP and the like, the City Corporation’s Council has rated its first year in power a successful one. Though a press meet called by the Mayor and team on Wednesday did strive to show that it could spend Rs 32 crore on various projects, it failed to point out a single novel project that was envisaged and implemented on its own merit during the last one year. That its annual plan projects for 2011-12 are yet to be cleared, casts further uncertainty on the future of many its ambitious dreams too.According to the Mayor, the Corporation took up the tarring of 35,900-metre roads in the city and did maintenance work on 12,950-metre roads. It spent ` 60 lakh for the renovation of Nayanar Park at the Putharikandam ground. An amount of Rs 20 lakh was spent on the development of Shantivila Hospital, Rs 30 lakh was spent for Pangode fish market project,Rs 9 lakh for development of Shangumugham beach and so on. However, the fact remains that major spending has been done on the Centrally-sponsored schemes, which are mostly ongoing ones. Like the Leachate treatment plant in Vilappilsala or the sewerage treatment plant in Muttathara. The ‘breakfast in schools’ scheme (extended to newly-added wards), computer literacy training programme for backward students, Kalari project to foster sports skills in students and others are also a continuation of the previous Council’s projects. The one major point being focused on is the sanitation programme. “We are going to highlight the slogan that waste is not a curse, but a boon. A massive campaign would be launched to take the message to the public,” Mayor K Chandrika said. However, the fact remains that the campaign is yet to spread its wings and the future of decentralised waste management is still unpredictable. The Corporation’s attempt to highlight the Rajiv Awaz Yojana also fails to win kudos, for it is a Centrally-sponsored scheme that would take off in 2012 only. Though it has listed the completion of Karimadom colony as one major achievement, the second phase (under BSUP scheme) has been caught in a row and is in the court.It has neither addressed the issue of sprouting unauthorised buildings, strengthening of its zonal offices, dog menace, unauthorised slaughter or lack of proper street-lights. What could be seen as a silver lining is the attempt it made to assess the various buildings which were so far enjoying a zero tax status, draining the Corporation’s pockets of its income through property tax. The Corporation has already served notices on institutions with heavy dues and has intensified its tax collection.
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