KOCHI: Understaffing is affecting the functioning of Kochi corporation badly at a time when pressure is mounting on the civic body to take the steps the National Green Tribunal and the State Pollution Control Board wanted to streamline the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant.
Its health wing, which has to coordinate the measures, has no health committee chairperson and no health officer.
Due to the stalemate, the civic body is yet to respond to the State Pollution Control Board’s show cause notice for polluting River Kadambrayar.
It also failed to intensify anti-mosquito drive, though the mosquito population is on the rise. People in the city have been complaining about the menace but the corporation has proved to be ineffective in containing it.
The lack of proper planning and preparation will also affect plans to strictly enforce the ban on plastic carry bags of less than 50 microns from April 1.
After UDF’s V.K. Minimol stepped down as health standing committee chairperson, the LDF has not finalised a replacement, and it’s up to the State Election Commission to call an election.
The LDF has the CPM, the CPI and the Janata Dal members on the panel.
Meanwhile, V. P Chandran, the CPM member on the panel, said mayor Soumini Jain had not responded to their demand for an immediate meeting of the committee.
“The mayor can convene a meeting and assign a member the responsibility of chairperson for an interim period," Mr Chandran said. “It's the mayor and the secretary who should take decisions in consultation with the committee.”
