Testing time for the Coimbatore Corporation

An indication of this came in ample measure at the April 27 meeting of the Council at which some parties strongly criticised the civic body for the lack of information flow on major infrastructure schemes.Complaining of lack of transparency in providing details of the schemes to the Council, the parties' councillors also refused to approve a resolution relating to the funding of solid waste management and also empowering the Corporation Commissioner to sign on all documents relating to loans and also to schedule the repayment pattern.Councillors of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam faulted the Corporation's approach to obtaining funds for the schemes.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) member and Corporation North Zone Chairman C. Padmanabhan even alleged rampant corruption in the Corporation, especially in town planning and revenue wings.The charge has come at a time when the Corporation is required to ensure transparency in every sphere of civic administration.Transparency is a condition laid by the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission under which more than 10 schemes are to be implemented.These include the ones for a Bus Rapid Transit System, underground sewers, multi-tier parking lots and houses for slum dwellers.So far, only the drinking water, waste management and slum development schemes have been cleared.The Corporation is into hectic efforts to implement all the schemes by 2012 at an outlay of Rs.3189 crore.

Already, consultants have been engaged in carrying out surveys and preparing project reports. This is one of the areas where the Corporation faces flak from the councillors.Mr. Padmanabhan and the AIADMK's leader in the Council, P. Rajkumar, are among those who are targeting the Corporation for not keeping the elected body fully informed of how loans are to be obtained, used and repaid.Both of them say that the struggle for full information on the schemes is not over yet.This is the major grouse that has led to the parties refusing to pass the resolutions.They have also demanded special meetings in the Council on the mission schemes.Referring to these demands, Mayor R. Venkatachalam says that the schemes have already been explained in detail to the councillors.

The Corporation is already running against time to implement the schemes. In such a situation, the thrust should be on getting the schemes cleared quickly as they are all for the benefit of the entire city. The Corporation is torn between the State Government and the Council over the issue of grants for schemes. The Government is said to have made it very clear recently that it will only provide interest-free loans and not grants as its 20 per cent contribution of the project cost.The State Government has taken this stand by pointing out that the Central Government is already giving a 50 per cent grant.

The councillors fear that the Corporation will resort to a steep hike in Property Tax rates and water charges to help it repay loans of 50 per cent of the project cost.The Corporation has already indicated in its budget that an increase in the rates is inevitable because of its growing financial commitment and the cost of services to the people.Besides, building tax rates have not been revised for more than seven years.But, this is the area where the Corporation faces stiff resistance from the elected representatives. At the same time, it is also under pressure to raise the rates and demonstrate its financial capacity to both the Central and State Governments in order to have its projects cleared.

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