The New Indian Express         04.09.2013

In order to clear contractors’ bills, the Kochi Corporation will take a `10-crore loan from a private bank. “The state government has given its approval for the same,” said Mayor Tony Chammany on the sidelines of council meeting on Tuesday. Contractors have threatened to go on an indefinite strike if the Corporation fails to clear the arrears by September 10.

The Mayor had promised to clear the bills before the deadline, as the indefinite strike was likely to hit various ongoing construction works in the Corporation area, including roads and drains, almost all development initiatives would come to a grinding halt. The contractors had put forward one and only solution to avert the indefinite strike, that is to pay at least `10 crore of the `18-crore bills, approved by the Corporation but remaining unpaid. The contractors had already stopped undertaking any new projects because of this tussle with the Corporation, something which puts various development works in Corporation divisions and their respective councillors on a tight spot.

The New Indian Express         04.09.2013

In the backdrop of allegations by councillors that water diversion was the primary reason behind the severe water crisis that hit the city recently, Mayor Tony Chammany on Tuesday announced that a special committee is being constituted to probe the reasons behind the water shortage. The Mayor said the decision was taken during a meeting with Minister for Water Resources P J Joseph in the presence of MLAs and engineers. “There are allegations that water meant for Kochiites is being diverted to other areas. Councillors have also raised doubt about leakage of pipelines.

These anxieties were discussed in the meet and the minister has appointed a special team to investigate these matters. The Superintendent Engineer has been asked to monitor the probe. The corporation will take necessary action once this team submit its report,” the Mayor said. In the council meeting, councillors alleged that improper functioning of the KWA had led to the water crisis. Councillors, cutting across party lines, raised an uproar when the Mayor postponed a special council meeting to discuss the financial crisis in the Corporation. The meeting is scheduled for September 23. Chairman of Development Standing Committee T J Vinodkumar said being an important meeting, the decision to postpone should have been taken with little more seriousness. Opposition councillors N A Shafeeq and C A Shakeer also strongly opposed the decision. However, the Mayor opined that the postponement would benefit a more serious discussion on the topic.