‘No intermediaries’: Kochi Mayor sets roadmap for transparent governance with 50-day action plan

Kochi: Kochi Mayor VK Minimol on Friday said the new administration aims to create a system that allows citizens to directly communicate with the Mayor and Deputy Mayor without the involvement of intermediaries.

Speaking at a reception hosted by Mathrubhumi for the newly appointed Mayor and Deputy Mayor, Minimol was responding to questions on corruption allegations linked to the Kochi Corporation.

“Despite political changes in governance, the new council’s approach is to acknowledge the good work done by the previous administration and correct mistakes where necessary. Instead of mere announcements, we intend to select only those projects that can realistically be completed and present them transparently before the public,” the Mayor said.

She said the new council would prioritise key challenges facing the city, including the Brahmapuram waste plant, solid waste management, traffic congestion, and the growing menace of stray dogs.

“As Mayor, neither I nor Deputy Mayor Deepak Joy need people’s money. The public should be able to approach us directly on any Corporation-related issue without intermediaries. We want to establish such a system within the Kochi Corporation. This will help resolve issues at an early stage and take action against corruption even before complaints reach the Vigilance department,” Minimol said.

Deputy Mayor Deepak Joy said the public would be free to approach the Mayor or Deputy Mayor at any time on matters related to the Corporation.

“The new council is preparing 50-day action plans with a focus on Kochi’s development. Our aim is to complete these initiatives before the upcoming Assembly elections,” he said.

He added that while the previous council had implemented several good projects, some would require audits, and the status of those audits must be transparently communicated to the public.

“At the core of our approach is the willingness to recognise what was done right and to correct what went wrong,” the Deputy Mayor said.

The reception hosted by Mathrubhumi was attended by Mathrubhumi Public Relations Vice President P.V. Mini, Kochi Unit Manager Aishwarya Das, Kochi Bureau Chief K. Padmajan, and staff members from various departments.