Aluva municipality’s opposition councillors have sought a Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) probe into alleged irregularities involving a hotel and a computer centre operating from municipal office premises, alleging unauthorised use of civic property and loss of revenue to the financially struggling local body.
The demand was raised by LDF councillors, who accused the Congress-led municipal administration of failing to act against establishments allegedly using municipal facilities without proper authorisation. The allegations concern the now-closed Kudumbashree Janakeeya Hotel and a computer centre located in a municipal building.
According to the opposition, the hotel was being operated by private individuals in the name of a Kudumbashree unit. Councillors alleged that the establishment did not have the required documentation but was allowed to use municipal space, water and electricity without charge. The report did not include a response from the municipal administration to these allegations.
The LDF also demanded that the municipality implement a unanimous council decision to invite tenders for reopening the hotel. The facility was launched during the Covid period under an LDF government initiative to provide affordable meals. Shyam Padmanabhan, the opposition leader, said its closure had affected people who depended on it.
Councillors alleged that delays in issuing the tender were depriving the municipality of potential income. The demand comes as the local body faces questions over how municipal premises and utilities are being allocated and monitored. The report did not specify the amount of revenue or utility costs allegedly involved.
The opposition also sought the eviction of a computer centre that it alleged was occupying a municipal building without paying rent or utility charges. The councillors have asked the authorities to examine whether the centre’s occupation was formally authorised and whether the municipality has been compensated for the use of its property and services.
A further allegation concerns the recording of decisions in the minutes of meetings of the public works standing committee. LDF councillors claimed that decisions had been added to the minutes without the knowledge of committee members. Padmanabhan cited what he described as similar alterations to council minutes in the past.
The proposed VACB inquiry would determine whether the alleged use of municipal property, provision of utilities, delays in tendering and changes to meeting records involved procedural violations or financial irregularities. The immediate next step reported by the opposition is the implementation of the council’s decision on inviting tenders for the hotel and consideration of its demand for a vigilance investigation.
