Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 19: The ruling CPI (M) in Kerala on Sunday sharply criticised the BJP-led Thiruvananthapuram City Corporation over waste management in the state capital and urged it to convene an all-party meeting to address the alleged crisis.
Senior Left leader and state General Education Minister V Sivankutty said the condition of the Corporation had become “extremely deplorable,” alleging that the BJP, which came to power with the slogan of change, had failed to deliver on its promises.
He claimed that the city was witnessing an “unprecedented waste management crisis”, unlike anything seen in the past four decades, and blamed the failure of proper waste disposal systems for the situation while speaking to reporters.
The minister alleged that the ineffective handling of waste had aggravated the stray dog menace in the city, while the lack of proper planning was contributing to the spread of summer-related diseases.
With the monsoon season approaching, Sivankutty stressed that pre-monsoon cleaning activities should not be carried out as a mere formality but must be implemented with proper planning and efficiency.
He further alleged that streetlights in many parts of the city were not functioning adequately.
Questioning the Corporation’s approach, he said blaming the state government for every issue was not a sustainable way forward.
Sivankutty called upon the ruling council in the Corporation to take other political parties into confidence and immediately convene an all-party meeting and a council session to find solutions to the pressing issues.
He also criticised what he termed unfulfilled promises, including claims that a development blueprint for the city would be announced within 40 days, saying such assurances had come to nothing.
Stating that the lives of people in Thiruvananthapuram should not be made difficult, the minister warned that if the Corporation failed to act promptly, the state government would be compelled to intervene strongly.
The BJP-led NDA recently won the Thiruvananthapuram City Corporation in local body polls, ending over four decades of rule by the CPI(M)-led LDF.
