Wednesday, Apr 02, 2003
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Tamil Nadu
By Our Special Correspondent
``I challenge (to the Opposition) that Veeranam scheme will be implemented and Chennai will get water,'' Ms. Jayalalithaa heatedly said, in response to the Congress floor leader, S. R. Balasubramaniam's contention that the scheme was a huge waste of public money. The Congress leader also demanded that the Government make public the tender documents and the minutes of Metrowater Board meetings to clear doubts why the tenders were finalised at Rs.55 crores higher than the department rates. On the last day of the budget debate, the Congress leader asked how one tmcft of water could be brought to Chennai from the dry Veeranam lake, located at the tail-end of the Cauvery basin. Also, local farmers, who were reeling under water shortage, would not allow the Government to implement the scheme. At this, the Chief Minister, immediately on her feet, said only the surplus water from the Veeranam tank, which would be deepened, would be transported. ``We are not afraid of such meaningless criticism,'' she shot back. Even if the Cauvery water did not reach the Veeranam tank, northeast monsoon rains were sufficient for implementing the scheme, she asserted. But, an unfazed Mr. Balasubramaniam stuck to his guns: ``You will not get Veeranam water at all''. When there was no water for irrigating crops once a year there, ``how could we supply Veeranam water to Chennai''? Then, he charged that the contracts had been finalised at Rs.55 crores more than the schedule of rates drawn up by the Government. Besides, top Metrowater officials were transferred and the then Local Administration Minister (C. Durairaj) lost his portfolio just before the tender negotiations were to begin with the lowest bidder for reducing rates for Package III of the project. Finally, the tenders for Package III were finalised at almost the same rates quoted by the lowest bidder. When the Local Administration Minister, M. C. Sampath, intervened to state the tenders were finalised at higher rates because steel prices shot up by 35 per cent, the Congress leader said he could not buy the government argument. If the steel prices had indeed shot up, how did the third lowest bidder for Package IV bring down his rates from Rs. 479.99 crores to 335 crores. ``Instead of allowing the bidders to revise their rates, the board should have gone in for retendering as per the Transparency in Tenders Act''. But the Minister said Metrowater decided not to retender to avoid cost and time over-run. ``If we keep issuing fresh tenders, we will not be able to implement the project in time.'' However, Mr. Balasubramaniam demanded that the Government place in the Assembly all tender documents and the minutes of the board meetings held to finalise the tenders.
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