Kochi: The audit report of the Kerala State Audit Department on Thrikkakara municipality for the financial year 2015-16 which was submitted on April 10 this year has stayed payment of Rs 5.69 lakh towards installation of CCTV cameras within municipal limits. The action was taken after the auditors identified that the CCTV cameras which were installed for the purpose of catching those who throw waste on the streets had become dysfunctional within one week of their installation. The CCTV cameras were installed at Edachira, municipal park, plastic shredding unit and Eechamukku by a firm called Surya Associates and it was given Rs 5,699,88 for executing the same.
As per the contract entered into with the municipality on August 3, 2015, the firm had agreed to do the service of the cameras for a year after their installation. However, the cameras functioned properly only for a week, the audit report noted. Though the municipality asked the firm to intervene several times, it did not respond and following it the municipality sent a showcause notice to it on December 14, 2015.
Surya Associates gave a reply to it following which standing counsel of the municipality Mr Shanawas Khan advised the municipality to file a civil case against the firm to recover the loss to the civic body in this respect. The audit report ordered that the followup proceedings in this regard should be urgently taken and the Audit Department should be informed about the outcome and hence stayed the payment of the sum to the firm.
