LDF suspects hidden agenda in Budget to hand over Corporation’s assets to private players

The Kochi Corporation’s Budget has disappointed the city and its residents, the Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) has said.

In a statement issued here, LDF Parliamentary Party leader V.A. Sreejith alleged that the Budget concealed moves to undermine Kochi’s flagship Samridhi project and to hand over the Corporation’s assets to private agencies and companies. He described the proposal to resume biomining at the scientifically capped site in Brahmapuram as suspicious.

Mr. Sreejith recalled that it was during the tenure of the United Democratic Front (UDF) that Brahmapuram was reduced to a waste mound, with crores of rupees squandered in the process. He stressed that transparency and clarity were essential in projects under the public-private partnership model.

Prioritising Indira Canteen at the expense of Samridhi betrayed the UDF’s intolerance and political vendetta against a popular initiative. He also flagged ambiguity in the formation of the development council. Introducing new projects at a time when K-SMART had already been successfully implemented was questionable, he said.

The Budget, he said, failed to address the acute drinking water shortage faced by the city or to propose measures to tackle tidal flooding, a major challenge. He noted that during the strike by ASHA workers, the UDF had announced an increase in honorarium in local bodies where it was in power, but the Corporation’s Budget remained silent on the matter, exposing what he termed political hypocrisy.

Several of the projects listed in the Budget, including municipal bonds, were not new, Mr. Sreejith said. Many had either been initiated or preliminary steps taken during the tenure of the previous council.