Navakerala Sadas: Congress-ruled Maradu municipality set to counter outreach programme with its own Jana Sadas

Maradu municipality to host Jana Sadas to counter Navakerala Sadas. Move comes after council refused to contribute ₹1 lakh to Navakerala Sadas. Jana Sadas to be held for 4 days across 4 locations in municipality. Aim to provide instant service to eligible beneficiaries on spot. Opp. LDF dismisses initiative as eyewash.Maradu municipality to host Jana Sadas to counter Navakerala Sadas. Move to provide instant service to eligible beneficiaries on spot. Jana Sadas to be held for 4 days across 4 locations in municipality. Aim to address people's complaints & send message to local bodies. Opp. LDF dismisses initiative as eyewash.

In what is being widely perceived as a political counter-initiative to the LDF-led Kerala government’s much-publicised Navakerala Sadas, the Congress-ruled Maradu municipality in Ernakulam is set to organise a similar Jana Sadas.

The Navakerala Sadas is set be held in Ernakulam district from December 7 to 10, while the Jana Sadas will be held for four days across four important locations in the municipality between November 28 and December 4 with a day’s break each in between.

The move comes close on the heels of the municipal council’s decision not to contribute ₹1 lakh towards the organisation of the Navakerala Sadas, thus defying a government order to that effect.

“We want to sent across a message to all local bodies that they can deliver services to people at their doorsteps without coughing up ₹1 lakh for the organisation of the Navakerala Sadas which has been reduced to a political gimmick,” said Maradu municipal chairman Antony Ashanparambil.

However, the Opposition LDF in the municipality dismissed the initiative as an eyewash. This was an attempt by the municipality to pre-empt residents from approaching the Navakerala Sadas seeking redressal despite having failed to address people’s complaints in several such adalats in the past, said LDF parliamentary party leader C.R. Shanavas.

The municipality is set to convene a meeting of eminent personalities, residents’ associations, and political parties on November 25 to discuss the organisation of the Jana Sadas. Apart from councillors, officials of the revenue, engineering and health wings of the municipality will be present through all four days of the Jana Sadas.

The municipality with 33 divisions has been divided into four zones and a location convenient for people to reach has been selected in each zone for conducting the event.