Thiruvananthapuram: The agenda of renting a residence for Mayor Arya Rajendran raises a debate at the council meeting held here on Thursday.
While the UDF board and BJP welcomed the agenda to rent a house for the mayor, they questioned the delay in completing the ‘Mayor Bhavan’ project in Kunukuzhy.
BJP members said that the project was almost two decades of the old and very unfortunate that the LDF who ruled the council so far could not complete the project to date.
They accused that it was a delay in the solution to the project that caused the mayor to rent a residence.
The leader of the LDF Parliamentary Party D Anil answered that Bhavan Mayor was never intended as a project to build a place to live for the mayor but as a building that integrated various other components.
D Anil also said that it was a local protest in Kunnukuzhy which has hampered the progress of the project.
His statement provoked Kunnukuzhy’s board members Mary Pushpam and he said that LDF forced the project to residents there.
“The project site is in Colony SC, Barton Hill.
About 250 families will be affected.
In addition, there is a Community Hall, Anganwadi, a towing institute associated with people’s livelihoods.
Why was forced to them?” He asked.
The Senior Council of Pallayam Rajan and Gopakumar rebuked Mary Pushpam and said that he stated an attitude of opposing projects at any cost would not be encouraged.
“The LDF council has been more human in its approach so far.
You cannot challenge anyone with an open protest declaration,” Pallayam Rajan said.
P K Gopakumar stepped further and said that Mary Pushpam acted under the influence of several people with personal interests and that she denied the opportunity for development there.
The state government has sanctioned civil bodies to utilize their own funds to take rental buildings to be used as the official residence of the mayor.
The government has issued an order based on a letter from the City corporation secretary of Thiruvananthapuram.
In accordance with the order, the maximum lease permitted for the building is Rs 15,000 and the ONETIME RS 1 lakh costs will be subject to sanctions for deposits, furniture and maintenance costs.
The furniture and other items purchased for rented residence must be treated as corporate assets.
The mayor must bear the cost of water and electricity.