The Times of India 21.03.2014
Councilors demands separation of engineering and town planning sections
KOZHIKODE:
Councillors in the Kozhikode city corporation have demanded the
formation of separate engineering and town planning sections to avoid
delay in the execution of ward-level public works.
The
councillors have alleged that the merger of the two sections in 2005 had
delayed execution of public works comprising construction and repair of
roads in the ward, construction of drainages and covering open slabs
and road surface improvements works.
Councillor Zachariah P
Hussein said that they need to wait for months to prepare the estimate
and supervision as the works of town planning and engineering section
being done by the same overseer.
"The delay in getting
permission and preparing project estimate created problems to the
councillors," he said. Councillor K Sathyanathan said that though he has
bought the issue to the attention of the mayor through a calling
attention motion, a decision in this regard is yet to be made.
"The councillors have been forced to run behind the overseers in the
corporation to prepare estimate and to carry out field visit as they
also need to accord permission to building plans after the site visit.
Only the separation of two departments will put an end to the existing
problem," he said.
Meanwhile, mayor MK Premajam said that it
was merged during the tenure of the previous government. "Staff shortage
is the main constrain for the separation of the merged sections. At
present there is a delay in carrying out the ward-level works as the
same staff needs to simultaneously carry out the works of the town
planning and engineering section," said the mayor.
