T’puram: Mayor V V Rajesh on Monday criticised general education minister V Sivankutty, alleging that the minister “has yet to come to terms with the change in administration” in the city corporation. Addressing a news conference, Rajesh said the minister continues to comment on civic matters without acknowledging the current governance setup.Raising concerns over water supply, Rajesh pointed out that nearly 400 litres are lost for every 1,000 litres of drinking water transported via pipelines from Aruvikkara to the capital. He demanded that Sivankutty, a former mayor and current state minister, clarify what steps were taken to address the issue. The mayor added that while the Kerala Water Authority was responsible for supply, the corporation often steps in with tanker services during shortages.The mayor’s sharpest remarks focused on the persistent street light issues across the city, highlighting widespread public confusion over maintenance responsibility. Contrary to popular belief, not all street lights fall under the corporation’s control. Around 2,000 lights are maintained by the Kerala Road Fund Board, while others are managed by departments such as tourism and Smart City projects.Key stretches, including Vazhuthacaud-Vellayambalam Road, LMS Junction, Attakulangara, Thampanoor and the Palayam-Airport corridor, have lighting systems under KRFB. Similarly, the Smart City project controls lighting along the Vellayambalam-Thycaud smart road while areas around Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple and Shanghumukham fall under the tourism department.The corporation directly oversees approximately 97,000 streetlights, including those on PWD roads and KSEB posts. Contracts mandate penalties if lights remain nonfunctional for more than 48 hours. However, Rajesh alleged that agreements signed by the previous council with three companies contained serious flaws, including unusually long 10-year maintenance terms. He warned that legal disputes could delay repairs, potentially leaving lights nonfunctional for extended periods.The mayor said the current administration is proceeding cautiously to avoid prolonged outages and ensure accountability in restoring street lighting across the capital.
