The Kochi Corporation Council has decided to seek an explanation from the contractor entrusted with installing LED street lights across 76 divisions over alleged lapses in service delivery.
Mayor V.K. Minimol announced the decision at the council meeting held on Saturday (May 30, 2026) after councillors, cutting across political parties, levelled severe criticism against the contractor and accused him of indifference, which had exposed them to public ire.
The issue was raised by Left Democratic Front parliamentary party leader V.A. Sreejith, who accused the Mayor of discrimination against West Kochi and of failing to ensure proper oversight, as decided at an all-party meeting held earlier this month.
He said that while the contractor claimed to have slowed down installation after realising the absence of a renewed agreement, only after completing works in divisions one to nine, even councillors from those divisions had complained of not receiving the lights. As he sought to corner the Mayor, Ms. Minimol said she had issued verbal directions to the contractor whenever councillors alerted her to lapses in service delivery.
She urged councillors to inform the standing committee chairpersons concerned or the Mayor directly to ensure corrective action. However, this did not sit well with Mr. Sreejith, who retorted that it was the Mayor’s duty to ensure compliance with council decisions and that councillors need not keep her informed at every turn. To this, the Mayor countered that she could not possibly be aware of affairs in all 76 divisions.
Bastin Babu, an Independent councillor from the Chullickal division, accused the contractor of inflating the volume of work compared to what was actually done. “While he claims to have installed 200 lights, not more than 10 have been installed in reality. Though the cable required for installation is part of the package, he collects money for the same from the councillors concerned,” he alleged.
The Bharatiya Janata Party councillor representing the Amaravathy division alleged that the contractor had gone out of the council’s control. She said that a few high-mast lights taken away under the pretext of maintenance were yet to be restored, while some had been installed elsewhere.
Vyttila division councillor V.P. Chandran observed that councillors had been left at the mercy of contractors in general. “They do not complete works in a time-bound manner, and councillors cut a sorry figure before the public. This should change,” he said.
Published – May 31, 2026 01:36 am IST
