The Thiruvananthapuram city Corporation's 11 zonal offices, many of which are located in areas that were earlier part of panchayats, have always suffered from lack of attention.
This has not only resulted in issues related to delivery of services to the public, but also led to cases of corruption. Most of the recent cases of corruption that have cropped up in the Corporation in recent times have originated at the zonal offices.
The civic body's 'Nagarasabha Janangalilekk' campaign launched on Friday aims at addressing the lacunae in the functioning of its zonal offices and clear pending files. The Corporation has chalked out an elaborate programme for disposing of the pending files, with the various standing committee chairpersons being given the responsibility of each of the zonal offices.
Since the Corporation's file adalats began a few months ago, around 5,000 files have been disposed of. However, more than 2,000 files are still pending. As part of the newly launched campaign, files that cannot be technically cleared but which are beneficial to the public, will be considered for disposal. Suggestions and ideas will be sought from the public at each of the zonal levels to improve the functioning of the offices as well as to address major issues.
The Mayor, standing committee chairpersons, and department heads will assess the functioning of each of the zonal offices on separate days. The zonal officials have been asked to prepare a detailed list of pending files, issues that need to be addressed, and also to collate the suggestions from the public. The adalats at the various zonal offices are scheduled to be held over the course of the coming weeks with the whole exercise set to conclude on September 16. After the campaign, the Corporation will publish a progress report for each of the zonal offices.
