Multi-level parking row: Kannur Mayor accuses LDF of negligence, corruption

The row over the multi-level car parking project in the Kannur Corporation has escalated, with the United Democratic Front (UDF) leadership accusing the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) administration of preparing a “flawed and hasty” detailed project report (DPR), leading to technical lapses, delays, and financial burden.

Speaking to the media a day after the LDF workers led by Minister for Registration, Museums, and Archaeology Ramachandran Kadannappally staged a protest in front of the car parking area, Mayor P. Indira said the LDF council that governed the Kannur Corporation between 2015 and 2019 had entrusted the preparation of the DPR to KITCO “without adequate study or planning”.

“The DPR was a makeshift document, and the project was pushed forward based on it. Even basic requirements such as underground storage needed fire clearance which was missing,“ she said.

The Mayor said UDF councillors had at the time flagged the deficiencies in writing to then Mayor E.P. Latha. After the UDF assumed office, efforts were made to rectify the shortcomings and complete the project in a “technically sound manner”. However, due to gaps in the original DPR, as many as 97 additional items had to be incorporated into the electrical estimate, resulting in an extra financial burden of ₹2 crore.

She further alleged that the State government deliberately delayed approval for the revised estimate submitted by the UDF council for nearly one-and-a-half years.

“By the time approval was granted, following sustained pressure, several installed components had deteriorated, while some were reportedly stolen,” a responsibility the Mayor attributed to the agency appointed during the LDF tenure.

The Mayor said the project was later completed in coordination with the contractor and opened to the public.

“Parking was allowed free of cost on a trial basis for about four months,” she noted. However, certain overlooked safety issues in the original DPR necessitated the temporary closure of the facility to ensure public safety. Steps are now being taken to address these issues and reopen the parking centre, she said.

The Mayor also criticised the LDF for staging protests over the issue, alleging that “the agitation was politically motivated to cover up a lack of development achievements over the past decade”.

She warned that legal action would be initiated against those who trespassed into the facility under the guise of protest and allegedly attempted to damage the machinery.

Rejecting corruption allegations raised by the LDF against the UDF, the Mayor turned the charge back on the previous administration. “It is evident as daylight that the root cause of all issues is the defective DPR prepared in 2017. Then LDF council and Mayor must answer for it,” she said.