Bill anomalies, waste mgmt raised in corp council meet

T'puram: Allegations of financial irregularities in programmes conducted during the previous council's tenure and concerns over the city's waste management after the recent Attukal Pongala dominated discussions at the corporation council meeting held on Wednesday.During the meeting, the present council highlighted several suspected discrepancies in bills related to the conduct of civic programmes and staff appointments during the previous administration. Town planning standing committee chairman Pattoor Radhakrishnan said that certain event-related contracts appeared to be submitted under different names but were allegedly linked to the same individual. Radhakrishnan alleged that while the rental charge for a ceremonial lamp usually ranged between Rs 300 and Rs 600, bills were reportedly submitted for amounts as high as Rs 6,000 in some cases. He also questioned the quotations related to refreshments served at the event. While a quotation of Rs 60,000 was reportedly submitted for providing tea and snacks to around 1,500 people, the refreshments were eventually arranged for about Rs 20,000, he said. The committee chairman also noted that, in several instances, programmes were allegedly assigned in the name of Kudumbashree without formal quotations, while individuals undertook the work. Another issue raised during the meeting concerned photocopying expenses incurred by the mayor's section during the final months of the previous council's tenure. According to Radhakrishnan, an amount of Rs 12.53 lakh was spent on photocopying minutes, agenda documents and notices during Oct and Nov alone, shortly before the council's term ended. He said the expenditure required closer scrutiny.Meanwhile, opposition councillors raised concerns about handling of waste in city following the Attukal Pongala festival. They alleged that large quantities of waste generated during the event were not cleared in several areas, including locations near Greenfield International Stadium and other parts of city. Members said waste was collected in sacks and dumped at different sites without proper segregation, with some non-biodegradable material reportedly covered with soil. They warned that such practices could pose environmental risks. The issue led to heated exchanges in the council, with opposition members staging a protest inside the hall, demanding a detailed discussion on waste management measures. Officials said further steps would be taken to examine the concerns raised during the session.