Feeble flow of funds; Pre-monsoon sanitation work in shambles

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Pre-monsoon cleaning process requires more than one lakh rupees for each ward. However, the government is still allotting only Rs 30,000 for each ward, which was the standard rate allowed almost 12 years back. This paltry amount allotted will do only a little work to shield the citizens from the epidemic and floods of monsoon season. Five to eight lakh rupees will be required for the 13 to 23 wards in a panchayat. The mismanagement of funds and the rampant corruption compound the worries.

Nellanad is a prominent village panchayat of the capital district. At least 70,000 rupees are needed to clean the town ward, Venjaramoodu. Last year, 3,20,000 rupees were allotted to 16 wards and this time won’t be any different. The charge of modern machinery and the labour charges have skyrocketed and is not the same as it was in 2012. 12 years ago, the wages of workers were between 300 and 400 rupees. Now it is between 800 and 1200 rupees.

60 per cent of the state's 941-gram panchayats fall in the low-income category. However, 87 municipalities and six corporations are showing glimpses of economic survival. Albeit the little success, sanitation is abysmal in many places.

The 100-ward Capital City Corporation has been able to spend Rs 1.5 crore on pre-monsoon sanitation in 2023. This year two crores have been allocated. In 2019, during VK Prashant’s tenure as mayor, one crore was allotted in place of one lakh, for sanitation works. It is a dreaded sight to watch the garbage scooped from the drains turning a mess the next day after a rain. In most municipalities, the condition is no different.