5 TVM Corporation employees suspended for alleged fraud

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 5 (IANS) Finally after several days, Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Mayor Arya Rajendran on Tuesday was forced to accept the corruption which the opposition BJP and the Congress councillors were highlighting.

In the council meeting, the mayor said that five Corporation employees have been suspended after it was found that the building and other taxes which they had collected were not remitted to the office.

"Corruption will not be tolerated and those who did this have been suspended and I wish to reiterate that all those who have paid the taxes need not be worried as their interests will be protected," said Rajendran, who last year created history by being sworn in as the youngest mayor.

The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation has been ruled by the CPI-M for several terms and it is the BJP which is the principal opposition in the 101 member Council.

The BJP councillors for the past one week have been on a day-night protest demanding action against the wrongdoers, who they say are being shielded by the mayor and the CPI-M.

The fraud had surfaced sometime back following an audit after it was found that the taxes collected are not being remitted to the office account.

Consequent to that a sum of Rs 2.8 million was found missing from two wards in the capital city. The BJP and the Congress were up in arms and finally it was on Tuesday that the mayor finally accepted that things are not fine.

Even though Tuesday's Council meeting was called for a different purpose, the mayor was forced to reply when the opposition protest turned very noisy. With the opposition tasting success, the BJP has decided to observe Wednesday as a protest day before the Corporation office.