Olympic venue, ‘100% benefit’ of Central projects for Thiruvananthapuram city: tall promises in BJP’s manifesto for Corporation election

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance’s manifesto for the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation for the upcoming local body elections makes ambitious promises ranging from an Olympic venue for the city to “100% benefit” of all Union government-funded projects for the capital city. BJP State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar released the manifesto here on Sunday.

The BJP is making a renewed push for power in the Corporation which has been ruled by the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) for the past four decades. One of the key promises is that the administration will put out a plan for the all-round development of the capital city, within 45 days of taking power in the Corporation. Through this, Thiruvananthapuram will be transformed into one of the three best cities in the country by 2030, it says.

The manifesto promises corruption-free governance aided by technology including Artificial Intelligence. Projects will also be launched to transform the capital into a major port city. Houses will be ensured for all the homeless families in the city with central assistance. Maintenance work of all run-down houses in the city will begin within 15 days of coming to power.

As per another promise in the manifesto, the Karamana River, Kill River, Amayizhanjan Canal and Parvathy Puthanar will be cleaned in a manner similar to the Ganga cleaning mission. Special projects will be formulated to address issues in the coastal region including coastal erosion. Steps will be taken to ensure that all streetlights in the city are functional, using a centralised system.

Pilgrimage tourism projects will be implemented centering on Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Attukal temple, Beemapally and Vettukad Church. Jan Oushadi network of medical stores will be widened in the city to ensure affordable medicines.

Digital platform

All financial transactions between the people and the Corporation will be through a digital platform. Services will be provided at the doorstep. Mayor, Deputy Mayor, councillors and Corporation officials will visit wards for mass reachout programmes and address complaints directly. Progress reports of the Corporation’s performance will be put out annually, says the manifesto.