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Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Corp's 13 compactor trucks, bought at 1cr each, in ruins
Kochi: Almost all the 13 refuse compactor trucks of Kochi Corporation, procured in 2014 at a cost of around Rs 1 crore each, are in ruins, according to a report prepared by the civic body's officials. A dearth of funds and a shortage of workshops with the right facilities are delaying their repair work. Now, the corporation proposes to entrust the operation and maintenance of the trucks to a private agency. The report said that it would take several months for the corporation officials to release the funds for repair works. However, the lone workshop in the near proximity where refuse compactor trucks can be repaired insists on advance payment for carrying out the repair works. The vehicles will develop further damage, like rusting of platforms, without proper maintenance. Moreover, only one truck can be repaired at a time at the workshop, adding to the delay, the report states. Hence, the corporation is forced to hire private trucks for garbage movement and other works. "It is to avoid this situation that we plan to introduce a private agency to handle the operation and maintenance of the trucks. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like TV providers are furious: this gadget gives you access to all channels Techno Mag Learn More Undo Last year, Cochin Smart Mission Ltd (CSML) procured 15 refuse compactor trucks for the corporation to transport garbage. The operation and maintenance of the CSML-procured trucks are entrusted to a private agency. They handle the trucks' maintenance in an effective way. So, if the operation of the 13 trucks we already have too is entrusted to a private agency, we can avoid hiring private trucks," a top official with the corporation said. According to the report, the local body shelled out Rs 35 lakh in Oct 2024 to hire private trucks. "There is a lobby that supports hiring private trucks. The lobby acts in collusion with some corporation 'authorities' and officials. If the trucks' maintenance is entrusted to another agency, then the hiring of private trucks can be avoided," said Kochi corporation UDF parliamentary party secretary M G Aristotle. "Those who support the lobby will not spare even a single opportunity to hire private trucks. Recently, they facilitated hiring private trucks for the shifting of silt removed from canals. As per the agreement with the contractors and corporation, the contractors had the responsibility to shift the silt at their cost. But some of the corporation 'authorities' and officials bent the norms to hire private trucks," Aristotle said.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Kochi corporation's 13 compactor trucks, bought at Rs 1cr each, in ruins
Kochi: Almost all the 13 refuse compactor trucks of Kochi Corporation, procured in 2014 at a cost of around Rs 1 crore each, are in ruins, according to a report prepared by the civic body's officials. A dearth of funds and a shortage of workshops with the right facilities are delaying their repair work. Now, the corporation proposes to entrust the operation and maintenance of the trucks to a private agency. The report said that it would take several months for the corporation officials to release the funds for repair works. However, the lone workshop in the near proximity where refuse compactor trucks can be repaired insists on advance payment for carrying out the repair works. The vehicles will develop further damage, like rusting of platforms, without proper maintenance. Moreover, only one truck can be repaired at a time at the workshop, adding to the delay, the report states. Hence, the corporation is forced to hire private trucks for garbage movement and other works. "It is to avoid this situation that we plan to introduce a private agency to handle the operation and maintenance of the trucks. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like These travel cards could help fund your next adventure Intuit Credit Karma Learn More Undo Last year, Cochin Smart Mission Ltd (CSML) procured 15 refuse compactor trucks for the corporation to transport garbage. The operation and maintenance of the CSML-procured trucks are entrusted to a private agency. They handle the trucks' maintenance in an effective way. So, if the operation of the 13 trucks we already have too is entrusted to a private agency, we can avoid hiring private trucks," a top official with the corporation said. According to the report, the local body shelled out Rs 35 lakh in Oct 2024 to hire private trucks. "There is a lobby that supports hiring private trucks. The lobby acts in collusion with some corporation 'authorities' and officials. If the trucks' maintenance is entrusted to another agency, then the hiring of private trucks can be avoided," said Kochi corporation UDF parliamentary party secretary M G Aristotle. "Those who support the lobby will not spare even a single opportunity to hire private trucks. Recently, they facilitated hiring private trucks for the shifting of silt removed from canals. As per the agreement with the contractors and corporation, the contractors had the responsibility to shift the silt at their cost. But some of the corporation 'authorities' and officials bent the norms to hire private trucks," Aristotle said.
Time of India
17-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Clean sweep: Kochi leads Kerala, ranks 50th nationally
Kochi: Kochi has been adjudged the cleanest city in Kerala, marking a major turnaround in its sanitation efforts. Almost a decade after earning a top spot in the Swachh Survekshan national rankings, the city has once again emerged among the cleaner cities in the country, securing the 50th position in the latest 2024-25 rankings. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now When the rankings were introduced in 2015-16, Kochi stood at 5th place, though only 20 cities were evaluated at the time. As more cities were included in the list in 2016-17, Kochi's rank slipped to 55th and continued to decline, reaching a low of 416th in the most recent previous survey. The city's improved performance is attributed to enhanced waste management efforts, especially at the Brahmapuram solid waste treatment plant, where biomining is in its final stages. Proper waste removal and treatment have played a key role in the city's comeback. In this year's survey, Kochi was ranked 50th nationally in the 'Big Cities: 3–10 Lakh Population' category. Rankings were determined through citizen feedback, evaluation of waste treatment infrastructure and direct field inspections. These covered cleanliness, urban beautification, organic and inorganic waste management and wastewater treatment. "For the first time since the launch of Swachh Survekshan, a city from Kerala has reached the top 50 nationally," said mayor M Anilkumar. "This is a significant achievement, but we must remember that 49 cities are still ahead of us. Our goal is to reach the top, and with the full operation of the CBG plant at Brahmapuram, we can make greater strides." However, despite this progress, Kochi is the only municipal corporation in Kerala yet to be declared a 'clean city' under the Malinya Muktha Nava Kerala project launched by the state govt. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This puts a question mark on the achievements of clean city Kochi. "While we rank highest in the state and have improved nationally, we still haven't been officially declared a 'clean city'. All other corporations and municipalities in Kerala have achieved this status," said MG Aristotle, secretary of the UDF parliamentary party in the Kochi Corporation. "This clearly shows Kochi still has work to do."
Time of India
17-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Thevara-Perandoor Canal desilting faces fresh hurdles
Kochi: Desilting of Thevara-Perandoor (TP) Canal is facing fresh hurdles in Kaloor area due to the sinking of its weak walls. Irrigation department is carrying out the desilting work by dividing the entire canal into four reaches or stretches. Work in each reach was awarded to different contractors to expedite the work. "Walls of the canal in Kaloor area are very weak. So, when silt is removed from the canal, the wall sinks from the bottom. Now, residents on either side are protesting against the desilting. This makes the job difficult," said Kathrikadavu councillor M G Aristotle. "Otherwise, the work was progressing well," he said. "We will consult the corporation and the irrigation department to sort out the issue," Aristotle said. Irrigation department undertook the desilting work at a cost of Rs 10 crore. Though the department invited tenders multiple times, no bidder came forward to undertake the work. Later, the work was divided into four reaches and fresh tenders were invited. The work was awarded to four contractors. The Rs 18-crore TP Canal rejuvenation project, implemented by corporation under Amrut scheme, is ongoing.
Time of India
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Kochi corporation faces heat over missing building data in K-Smart portal
Kochi: Of the 2.5 lakh building permits assessed within Kochi city limits, data related to nearly 50,000 buildings is missing from the Kochi Corporation's database—a serious issue that has disrupted tax payments and licence renewals for many property owners. So far, over 1,450 building owners have lodged formal complaints with the civic body. Corporation officials said efforts are underway to physically verify missing records and minimize inconvenience to the public. The issue primarily stems from the time when TCS was managing the e-governance programme. After the contract was scrapped due to delays and payment disputes, the private firm withheld data, including critical building permit details. Opposition councillors blame the situation on the administration's failure to spot discrepancies during the software transition. "Thousands of building numbers were omitted from the e-portal. The owners only realize this when they try to pay tax. We suspect the actual number could be higher than 50,000," said Antony Kureethra, leader of the opposition. MG Aristotle, secretary of the UDF parliamentary party and member of the finance committee, pointed out that according to Section 240 of municipal rules, building numbers can only be omitted after clearing tax dues and restoration requires permission from the regional joint director. "When the transition from Sanchaya software to K-Smart took place, tens of thousands of buildings were left out. People only discover the issue when they attempt to make payments," said Aristotle, adding that the corporation still lacks clarity on the total number of missing records. Officials have considered assigning sub-numbers to the omitted buildings, but this creates legal complications, especially when the original numbers are mentioned in title deeds and official documents. A senior official maintained that data pertaining to most buildings are now available with K-Smart. However, he failed to give the exact numbers but took credit for reinforcing the stalled e-governance project in corporation limits. "When we assumed power in 2020, the e-governance project was delayed by a decade. At a time when even the Kuttampuzha panchayat, which is located in the remote area of the district, issued e-birth certificates and marriage certificates, people had to stand in queue in front of the Kochi corporation office to register birth, death, marriage, etc and get certificates," he said. "Tiding over all the crises during the tenure of the previous two councils, we gathered data, roped in IKM, and implemented the e-governance project by 2022. Now, all our services are available through K-Smart," the official added.
