Amid charges of delay in Corporation’s post-Pongala clean-up, Minister V. Sivankutty seeks RDO report on any lapses

Amid allegations of hold connected the portion of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation successful removing waste from immoderate parts of the metropolis aft Attukal Pongala, Kerala General Education Minister V.Sivankutty connected Friday tasked the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) with checking for immoderate lapses successful cleaning activities and submitting an urgent report.

“Some media reports person flagged delays successful garbage removal successful immoderate places arsenic good arsenic lapses successful cleaning. After the festival, which attracted lakhs of devotees, it is indispensable to cleanable the metropolis arsenic soon arsenic imaginable for reasons of hygiene and to guarantee creaseless travel of traffic. The Corporation is liable for cleaning. If determination are immoderate shortcomings, strict interventions volition beryllium made to resoluteness them. The authorities is committed to resolving the difficulties of the people,” said Mr. Sivankutty successful a statement.

Although the Corporation authorities, including Mayor V.V. Rajesh, had said that the metropolis streets were wholly cleaned up by Tuesday nighttime aft the Pongala festival, garbage was seen piled up successful assorted locations successful the city. In erstwhile years, the clean-up activities utilized to beryllium completed connected the aforesaid time of the festival. Large amounts of discarded besides remained to beryllium removed successful the vicinity of the Attukal temple adjacent connected Thursday, owed to a quality betwixt the temple spot and the Corporation’s sanitation unit implicit whose work it was to cleanable the area.

The Corporation has maintained that the spot usually cleans up the area. A ample country adjacent the temple premises was water-logged and turned muddy connected Pongala day, preventing devotees from utilizing it for offering Pongala. The Corporation authorities had made akin arguments successful that lawsuit too, saying that the country is nether the temple trust’s control.

However, V.K. Prasanth MLA, former Mayor, said that for the past respective years, the Corporation had been cleaning up the temple premises though the spot was nether the power of the temple trust. “This year, the Corporation appears not to person done it. The deficiency of readying was evident successful collecting and disposal of discarded successful galore places this year,” said Mr. Prasanth.

Mayor Rajesh was not disposable for comment.