Kozhikode Corporation revises annual Plan; escalator to come up near mofussil bus stand

The Kozhikode Corporation has revised its annual Plan for 2026-27 to include new projects, such as the installation of an escalator over Mavoor road near the mofussil bus stand.

The decision was taken at a special council meeting held on Monday (October 5) in the wake of the government sanctioning an additional allocation of ₹40.92 crore for spillover projects. The meeting was presided over by Deputy Mayor S. Jayasree in the absence of Mayor O. Sadasivan.

The proposed escalator will connect the mofussil bus stand with the Mavoor Road–Markaz Complex side. Federal Bank has agreed to contribute ₹6 crore from its corporate social responsibility (CSR) fund towards the project.

The council also decided to increase the allocation for day-care homes from ₹5 lakh to ₹30 lakh. The allocation for follow-up activities of the City of Literature project was raised from ₹2 lakh to ₹5 lakh. An allocation of ₹45 lakh was also sanctioned for the Samanwaya project.

The meeting briefly turned into a political exchange, with Congress councillor K.C. Shobitha initiating the discussion. When she called for the council to thank the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government for sanctioning around ₹41 crore to the civic body, Development Standing Committee chairperson V.P. Manoj of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) said the UDF government had reduced the ₹132 crore allocated by the previous LDF government to ₹23 crore.

The ₹41 crore now sanctioned, he said, was being provided against the ₹109 crore that had been cut. Had the additional amount been sanctioned along with the earlier ₹23 crore, delays in implementing projects could have been avoided, Mr. Manoj said.

He added that the latest allocation would not resolve the crisis and that the fund cut could not be justified.

Congress councillor S.K. Aboobacker alleged that contractors were reluctant to take up new works as the Corporation had yet to clear payments for works carried out during the previous government’s tenure. He claimed that the civic body owed contractors ₹1,000 crore.

Mr. Manoj said the delay in tendering new works was not due to any lapse on the part of the Corporation but because the projects were yet to receive approval from the District Planning Committee (DPC).

Deputy Mayor Ms. Jayasree said it was unfortunate that a meeting convened to amend the annual Plan had turned into a political discussion. She said repeated amendments to the Plan and delays in obtaining approval from the DPC were partly due to technical procedures, particularly as the Plan funds were not released in a single instalment.