If all goes as per plans, Kochi will be the first solar city in the
state. However, the Opposition of the Kochi Corporation feels that more
clarity is needed regarding the project and its feasibility. 

Criticising
the Corporation Town Planning Committee for not providing adequate data
to the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives
(ICLEI), which has been entrusted with preparing the Detailed Project
Report (DPR) of the project, Opposition councillor M P Maheshkumar  said
some of the information provided to the consultants were false.

“The
first meeting of the stakeholders of the Solar City project was held in
Kochi last month. The draft of the DPR was presented before the
stakeholders. But, during the presentation, we noticed that some data
provided to ICLEI were inaccurate. For instance, it was mentioned that
80 per cent of the shops in Kochi were using LED lights. Similarly, the
info provided by the Town Planning Committee said there was a
crematorium in Kochi that uses solar energy. These are all false,”
Mahesh alleged.

He said though the presentation was meant for the
entire councillors, only 16 or 17 were present. “The DPR has to be
approved by the Council. With a majority of them not participating in
the stake holders meet, how can they approve it. And regarding the
presentation, it lacked clarity on certain elements like servicing,
guarantee, the providers and sectors where the project should be
implemented first,” he alleged.

Meanwhile, Kochi Corporation Town Planning Committee chairman K J Sohan said the allegations were baseless.

“As
per the guidelines put forward by the Centre, we have formed the core
committee and a stake holder committee for the project. As per the
decision taken by the Council, we have entrusted ICLEI with the DPR
preparation. The draft of the DPR was presented before the stakeholders
and if the Opposition councillors needed any clarification, they could
have cleared it at the time of presentation itself. And, personally, I
believe that the agency have come up with a comprehensive draft,” he
added. The Solar City project is being launched as part of the Ministry
of New and Renewable Energy’s (MNRE) plan to develop 60 Solar Cities in
India.