The Kollam city Corporation will focus on social-justice based development and welfare while diverse projects will be implemented to make Kollam a metro city, newly elected Mayor Prasanna Earnest has said.
At a press meet here on Tuesday, she said that a master plan for city development would be prepared within three months. “The service of experts will be used for this and an advisory committee will be constituted to ensure public participation. Each year the progress report will be presented before the public and their suggestions will be sought. Issues that require immediate implementation will be taken up within 100 days,” she said.
Citizen-centric
Making Corporation office paper-free, issuing online certificates and delivering various services without delay are the other promises of the new council head.
“These measures will be implemented for a citizen-centric, popular and corruption-free governance.” The Corporation also has plans to address the pandemic-related and post-COVID-19 problems in a comprehensive manner. Special cells would be formed to enforce COVID-19 protocol and mobile labs would be started to conduct various tests, he said.
“The units will be eventually upgraded as mobile hospitals by including doctors. As the schools are scheduled to reopen in January, committees including the Principal, PTA president, division councillor, a doctor and nurse will be formed in each school to ensure effective COVID-19 prevention and containment.”
Clean city
Ms. Earnest added that making Kollam a clean city would be a priority and steps would be taken for the construction and maintenance of more public toilets. “Another plan is to make Kollam a Corporation without any landless or homeless families. During the past five years 3,000 families were provided a roof over their heads under LIFE Mission and this time the Kollam Corporation has received around 8,000 applications,” she said.
Revival of tourism
Renovation of the Kollam canal will be another priority along with the revival of tourism sector in the district. “National-level cultural festivals will be organised and steps will be taken to preserve the heritage of the city. The Corporation will also open a centre or mobile unit distributing free meals in order to make Kollam a hunger-free city,” she said and requested the support of all irrespective of political and communal differences to implement these programmes.
