Former Transport Minister V. Senthil Balaji has moved the Madras High Court Bench here, seeking permission to hold a fast in Karur to express his opposition to the State government’s decision to shift the site for the construction of a government medical college hospital from Kuppuchipalayam to Sanappiratty.
Justices A. Selvam and N. Authinathan on Wednesday directed a Special Government Pleader to take notice of his plea on behalf of the Karur Superintendent of Police and obtain instructions by Friday.
In his Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking permission to hold the fast, Mr. Balaji claimed that the present government was unnecessarily changing the place of construction despite the project having been approved by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.
Stating that Ms. Jayalalithaa had consented to his demand to establish a government medical college hospital in Karur and had also made an announcement to that effect in the Legislative Assembly on August 12, 2014, Mr. Balaji added that a Government Order (G.O.) was also passed on January 19, 2015, for admitting 150 students in the college for the 2016-17 academic year. Following the G.O., the authorities accepted 25 acres donated by the locals for this project, he said.
Another G.O. was issued on November 30, 2015, allocating ₹229.50 crore for the construction of the college on the donated land and also for appointing the college dean. The tender for construction work was finalised on January 21, 2016, and the foundation stone was laid by Ms. Jayalalithaa on March 1 that year. However, construction activities failed to take off and the present government is planning to change the site arbitrarily, he alleged.
