The district administration’s alleged arbitrary stand on various aspects of the renovation of S.M. Street, particularly on the entry of vehicles, became a topic of unpleasant discussion at the meeting of the city corporation council on Tuesday.
Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) councillor K.T. Beeran Koya, who raised the issue, said it seemed as if the civic body had no role in any affairs after the renovation of the iconic commercial street of Kozhikode city. District Collector U.V. Jose had announced that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan would inaugurate the renovated S.M. Street. However, nothing had been discussed with the Corporation on the issue, he said. His party colleague C. Abdurehiman pointed out that S.M. Street was the property of the Corporation and that the city council had serious concerns over the recent developments. About 1,000 shopkeepers merchandise on the street. Their opinion and suggestions had not been taken into consideration, he said.
Mayor’s stand
However, Mayor Thottathil Raveendran, who chaired the session, said that the Department of Tourism had funded the renovation of S.M. Street. In fact, it was the civic body that had entrusted the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) with undertaking the work. The work was yet to be completed. After the completion of the work, the DTPC would hand over the S.M. Street back to the Corporation, he said. The Mayor also countered the arguments of the IUML councillors saying that the Corporation had a definite role in the affairs of the S.M. Street. He had taken part in all the meeting convened in connection with its renovation. Even the decision to invite the Chief Minister for the inauguration was a collective one, he said.
Mr. Raveendran said that the District Collector solely did not decide on the affairs of the S.M. Street. The civic body had been appraised of all decisions. A decision on regulating vehicles was still pending. Several aspects had to be looked into before taking a final call, the Mayor said. Through another calling attention motion, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillor Nambidi Narayanan demanded that the State government provide compensation to the family of a migrant who died during the cleaning of a drain at Azhichavattom in the city. Ayyan Durai, 65, was killed after the retaining wall along the Canolly canal near Puthiyapalam collapsed on him on Monday. He was engaged in cleaning a drain as part of the canal widening.
The councillor also wondered whether the construction of a new bridge at the cost of ₹60 crore was necessary for the city. About ₹8 lakh was spent for the construction of a drain too, he added.