The lack of a thorough discussion and formulating the requirements of each ward was reflected in the emergency Corporation Council meeting held here on Thursday convened to approve the draft proposal for the projects to be included in the People’s Planning Programme for the 2014-15, 2015-16 financial years. Hence, many suggestions put forward by the councillors in the council meeting will now have to be discussed in the ward committee meetings to be completed in a time-frame between January 11 and 19 before bringing them to the development seminar that follows.

Welfare Standing Committee chairman Palayam Rajan said that only 57 councillors were present throughout the general body meeting called to frame the draft. Hence the major heads that came up at the ward committees were included in the draft proposal under the suggestions of 19 working groups.

The councillors said that the nine days allotted for conducting the meetings in wards to discuss the draft proposal were too short a period and that it required at least a month’s time.

The major suggestions made by the councillors included allocating enough funds for construction of houses in coastal areas under the Basic Services to Urban Poor (BSUP) project.

In response, Mayor K Chandrika told the council that only few applicants had presented the documents for the grant of financial aid and announced a deadline of January 31 for the beneficiaries to submit the required documents.

Another demand, placed by UDF’s Mujeeb Rahman, was to sanction free water connection to the needy. The involvement of middlemen in seeking permission for tar cutting was hampering the move, he said.

Vazhuthacaud councillor Sureshkumar pointed out that town planning works need more funding for complete the projects.

The Mayor said that those who have not raised suggestions in the council meeting can submit them in writing and approved the draft proposal.