In show of unity, corporators urge Mysuru civic corporation to get back Cleanest City tag

MYSURU: Elected members, irrespective of party affiliation, came together at the first council meeting on Monday after the Mysuru civic body elections, to demand that authorities focus on getting back the status of cleanest city in India.
Manjunath, corporator from Agrahara who was the first to speak, called upon mayor Pushpalatha Jagannath, MCC commissioner KH Jagadeesh and his members to go all-out to bring back the cleanest city tag for Mysuru. “For the welfare of the city, irrespective of our party, we should work together. The team from Swachh Bharat Abhiyan will come to Mysuru in January. It’s not only the responsibility of elected representatives but also officials to see that all 65 awards are given equal importance in cleanliness,” he said.

He also called upon the mayor and commissioner to reintroduce phone numbers to corporators based on their ward numbers after getting approval in the council and state government so that people can easily contact their elected representatives.

Shanthakumari, a first-time representative, said, “The authorities should not focus on areas where members of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan visit. They should give equal importance to all 65 wards. The cleanliness drive should not be for a few months but throughout the year.”

Shivakumar said, “The overall target for revenue generation of the urban body this fiscal is Rs 215 crore but after nine months we have collected nearly Rs 95 crore which is nearly 45 percent. There are hardly three months to go and we need to collect another Rs 115 crore. The mayor should form a special team for this.”

M V Ramaprasad (independent) asked the mayor and commissioner to have a workshop for newly elected corporators to help them understand the working of the civic body and their roles and responsibilities.

LED streetlights

The project to install LED streetlights is getting delayed even as the government is aiming to implement it across the state, said commissioner Jagadeesh.

Replying to corporator Ayub Khan, he said, “During Dasara, we sent a request tthe o government regarding LED streetlights. The government immediately replied asking us suspend the proposed LED light project in the city as the state government is installing LED lights across the state. It has also issued an order.”

Council members requested the commissioner and mayor for an alternative plan. The members also requested the mayor to get special approval from the government for it.