The Hindu 08.12.2010
Onus on Mayor to realise Twin City project: MP
Special Correspondent
Thiruvananthapuram: The row over the proposed Twin City pact between Thiruvananthapuram and the Spanish city of Barcelona occupied centre stage again on Tuesday, with Shashi Tharoor, MP, placing the onus for keeping the proposal alive on the Mayor and the Corporation Council.
In a press note here, Dr. Tharoor said the Mayor's bid to raise constitutional issues on the proposed pact was unwarranted and lacked credibility at this juncture.
Referring to her statement that the Left Democratic Front was not fundamentally opposed to the Twin City agreement, Dr. Tharoor said she should have taken the lead to get a resolution adopted by the council expressing willingness to enter into an agreement with the Barcelona city council.
“The Mayor said she had written to the Union Ministry of Urban Affairs seeking advice on the constitutional and administrative aspects of the proposal. The proposal sent by the Council of Barcelona has been pending for the past 11 months now. It is set to expire on December 10. Ultimately, the fundamental decision on cooperation with Barcelona is vested with the Thiruvanathapuram City Council and not with the others to whom letters have been sent,” he said. “In view of the above situation, the Mayor of Thiruvanathapuram has to immediately send a formal communication to her counterpart in Barcelona, explaining the position and seeking an extension of time for sending a final approval to the proposal.”
“As regards the doubts and apprehensions expressed about the constitutional validity of such a proposal, it has to be remembered that Thiruvananthapuram as well as other cities in the country had entered into twinning agreements in the past. The proposal sent by the Council of Barcelona provides, as is usual in such cases, only the outline of possible cooperation in various sectors within a broad framework of mutual cooperation,” he said.
‘Challenge to people'
Johnson Joseph, leader of the United Democratic Front in the council, alleged that the Mayor was guided by political prejudice in turning down the resolution moved by the Opposition on the Twin City proposal in the council on Monday. He said the Mayor's refusal to discuss the issue in the House was a challenge to the people.
Mr. Joseph urged the Mayor for steps to discuss the proposal with the Barcelona council and take it forward.
