War of words in council over Attukal Pongala cleanup

A council meeting of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation on Wednesday witnessed shouting matches over the waste management after Attukal Pongala, with Left Democratic Front (LDF) councillors staging a protest accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led civic body of failing to clear the waste from many areas even days after the Pongala. Images of large amounts of waste strewn around near the Attukal temple premises as well as inside the Government Sanskrit College had put pressure on the civic body over the past week. Workers of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) carried out cleanup activities at the Government Sanskrit College in the city on Sunday. When the LDF councillors raised the issue, Mayor V.V.Rajesh said that the Corporation had carried out the post-Pongala cleaning activities efficiently. Regarding the transfer of 10 health inspectors after Pongala, he said that these were part of routine administrative measures and not connected to the Pongala cleanup. As the debate heated up, the LDF councillors trooped into the well of the house and raised slogans against the Mayor, following which he declared the agenda items passed and ended the meeting.

The LDF councillors later staged a protest outside the Mayor’s office. CPI(M) councillor S.P.Deepak told presspersons that the Corporation had also dumped large amounts of Pongala waste at the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC)’s land near Enchakkal causing difficulties to the residents in the locality. “We took up the issue after we received calls from residents’ associations from various parts of the city, complaining of waste accumulation after the festival. We are witnessing a situation like this for the first time. The LDF will step up protests against the Corporation in this regard,” said former Mayor K.Sreekumar. Earlier, during the council meeting, Town Planning Standing Committee chairperson Pattoor Radhakrishnan alleged that the previous council had quoted exorbitant amounts for renting various items for organising events, leading to voices of protests from the LDF.