Survelliance cameras will be installed at all check posts in the State from August. The cameras linking the offices of the Finance Minister and the sales tax commissioner are being installed to check corruption at the check posts.
Minister for Finance and Public Works T.M.Thomas Isaac, in reply to questions in the Assembly on Tuesday said that a secret fund of Rs.1 crore will be given to the sales tax officers soon. An integrated check post will be set up at Manjeswaram. The government has to recover tax arrears worth Rs.672 crore. Courts have issued stay orders against recovering Rs.412 crore. The appellate authority has stayed the recovery of Rs.175 crore and the government has issued stay orders against realisation of Rs.24 crore. Steps are being taken to recover the arrears at the earliest and extradite the accused in the fake pay order case from foreign countries, he said.
Assistant tax commissioners have been empowered to hear petitions on value-added tax. The system adopted at Walayar check post for rooting out corruption will be introduced at the PWD Chief Engineers office too. Laptops will be provided to assistant engineers to expedite the execution of civil works. Cost of works will be recovered from the contractors who fail to complete the works awarded to them within the stipulated time. Considering the constraints of the design wing of the Public Works Department, the government has decided to outsource the designing of bridges and buildings at revised rates. According to the details available with the department on July 23, 94.9 per cent of the potholes on roads under the Roads and Bridges division and 66 per cent potholes on roads that come under the National Highway wing have been filled.
Water Resources Minister N.K.Premachandran said that the State government has expressed its willingness to the Tamil Nadu government for holding talks on the Parambikulam Aliyar Pact in Thiruvananthapuram.
