The reported auctioning of the official car of the Mayor has kicked up a debate, with the Opposition councillors demanding an inquiry into the matter.
Quoting the report of the Local Fund Audit Department, the Opposition councillors said the vehicle had been auctioned off to a private individual against the Government Order (GO) to condemn and demolish it. It was the audit report for 2018-19 that highlighted the violation of procedures, said a statement issued by CPI(M) leaders K.J. Antony and V.P. Chandran.
The Opposition councillors had opposed the Mayor’s move to replace the vehicle with a new one, as she had stated that the existing vehicle was unfit for use. A new car was purchased for the Mayor by utilising ₹20 lakh from the development fund of the Kochi Corporation. The Mayor went for a new vehicle at a time when the civic body was struggling to raise funds for the development needs of the city, the LDF councillors said.
Even while discarding the existing vehicles, the civic administration deviated from the usual practice of cancelling their registration and demolishing them. Instead of following the procedures, the vehicle was auctioned off to a private individual. The transfer of sale was effected based on the documents issued by the office of the Kochi Corporation, the LDF leaders alleged.
Responding to the charges, Mayor Soumini Jain said the new car was purchased after the council approved it and the government issued an order to that effect. All procedures were followed in the purchase and related affairs, she added.
Meanwhile, officials of the corporation said the car, which was auctioned off, had been purchased during the term of the previous Mayor. The vehicle was involved in a few accidents and had developed technical snags.