The government is not only in the process of confiscating illegally mined granite valued at Rs. 4,000 crore and also taking action to attach properties equivalent to Rs. 9,783 crore of those involved in the scam, according to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.
At a conference of Collectors and Superintendents of Police at the Secretariat in Chennai on Monday, the Chief Minister said the government was taking efforts for early conviction of the culprits (involved in the granite scams).
On land grabbing, Ms. Jayalalithaa said so far 1,627 cases had been registered and properties worth Rs. 835.94 crore returned to the rightful owners. These were a few examples of many other cases of grave crime which were unearthed in the past 19 months, she said adding that this was possible because the police force was free from interference of any kind.
Detailed project reports at a cost of Rs. 21,777 crore had been prepared covering urban local bodies and Rs. 273.96 crore sanctioned for solid waste management activities, the Chief Minister said and asked the Collectors to regularly monitor and facilitate timely execution by ensuring availability of land and coordination with departments concerned.
Hinting that elections to the cooperative societies are round the corner, she said the government was planning to bring in amendments to the TN Cooperative Societies Act, 1983, and it was the duty of the Collectors to maintain law and order during elections in their respective districts.
Public health
She also drew attention to the spread of communicable diseases like dengue in recent months. Ms. Jayalalithaa said the government had issued guidelines on handling the emergent situation and emphasised that the prevention of such diseases was entirely with district administrations.
The Chief Minister also urged the Collectors to ensure schools and hostel buildings were kept clean with proper drinking water and sanitation facilities, especially for girls, through periodic inspections. They were also told to ensure eradication of open defecation through community involvement, technological innovation and upgrading infrastructure.
