Allegations levelled by UDF councillors of the Corporation against the implementation of various projects of Kudumbasree have resulted in strong protest from not just the Corporation, but the Kudumbasree members themselves.
A day after UDF councillors levelled the allegations about the e-shops, kiosks, and other projects of Kudumbasree, Mayor A.K. Premajam, on Monday, had refuted all the charges and said the projects were implemented after the council had passed them.
On Tuesday, Kudumbasree members from three Community Development Societies (CDSs) in the Corporation led a protest march to the Corporation office on the Kozhikode Beach to express their displeasure over the councillors’ “attempt to thwart Kudumbasree.”
Hundreds of Kudumbasree members took part in the march that began from the Town Hall premises. Kudumbasree North CDS Chairperson P.P. Sheeja, in her inaugural address, stated that the projects were implemented as per the interest of Minister for Social Welfare M.K. Muneer, who was in charge of Kudumbasree.Meanwhile, Kudumbasree Project Officer M.V. Ramsi Ismail said the projects were implemented with good intention and if the councillors had found any faults they only had to point them out. “We are ready to correct them if anyone points out the faults. There was no need of making an issue out of it,” he told The Hindu .
Mr. Ismail said the Kozhikode Corporation Kudumbasree had recorded 85 per cent success in the last financial year and had always been in the forefront to implement novel projects. “We have nothing to hide,” he added.
The UDF councillors had alleged malpractices in allotting land for the e-shops and the choice of products sold there. The Opposition had also alleged that the council was not consulted while fixing the prices for various services at the kiosk that was recently opened at the Corporation office. The Food on Wheels project and the Kudumbasree Dress Bank also came in for criticism, and there was a demand for Vigilance inquiry.
