THOOTHUKUDI
Members of Tamil Nadu Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee, who inspected various ongoing projects in the coastal town under the ‘Smart City’ programme, said procedural lapses and violation of norms in executing the Smart City projects had resulted in loss of revenue to the government.
The committee, headed by Sriperumpudur MLA K. Selvaperunthagai, inspected the intensive care unit of Thoothukudi Medical College Hospital, reconstruction of the old bus-stand, bio-fertilizer manufacturing unit on Ettaiyapuram highway and Thoothukudi Fishing Harbour and conducted a review meeting at the Collectorate.
Later, Mr. Selvaperunthagai told reporters that the inspection, being conducted based on the report of Centre’s Comptroller and Auditor General, found that the reconstruction of the Thoothukudi old bus-stand under the Centre and State-funded Smart City project was started even before formally acquiring the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation’s depot for expansion. Consequently, the construction, which should have been completed a year ago, was still going on to incur loss to the government.
In some of the Smart City projects being executed in Coimbatore Corporation, construction had been started even as litigations were pending before the courts.
“Similar procedural lapses and violation of norms in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015 in implementing the projects under the State Government’s development works and then the Smart City projects, have resulted in loss to the government’s fisheries, commercial taxes, transport, agriculture, healthcare, local body departments.
The CAG has flagged the losses caused to the exchequer by these administrative lapses and violation of norms. After completing inquiry, the Public Accounts Committee will submit its report and recommend to the government the action to be taken against erring officials,” Ms. Selvaperunthagai said.
Collector K. Senthil Raj, committee members M.H. Jawahirullah, S. Gandhirajan, M. Sinthanai Selvan, Y. Prakash, E. Raja and T. Velmurugan, Srivaikundam MLA Oorvasi S. Amirtharaj participated in the inspection and the review meeting.
