The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Works recommended by Baalu underway, court told

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Oct 07, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Works recommended by Baalu underway, court told

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, OCT. 6. The State Government today told the Madras High Court that civic works recommended by Union Minister for Shipping and Surface Transport T.R. Baalu for execution from his local area development funds, were in progress and that they would be completed in two months.

The Government advocate made the submission before a Division Bench comprising Justice K. Govindarajan and Justice S. Sardar Zackria Hussain, when a writ petition filed by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's Tambaram MLA, Vaidyalingam, came up for hearing. The Bench disposed of the matter after recording the submission.

In his petition, Mr. Vaidyalingam listed various projects not taken up despite Mr. Baalu sanctioning funds.

`Violation of guidelines'

"Funds allotted by Mr. Baalu for various welfare schemes were not utilised by the Kancheepuram district administration, Chennai Corporation and the Metropolitan Transport Corporation, among others, with a mala fide intention and political motive, to satisfy some higher-ups in the Government. It is against public welfare and in deliberate violation of guidelines issued by the Government of India," he said.

Despite several reminders from the minister and his office, the Chief Secretary and the District Collector did not send any reply or take any steps to implement the schemes.

He said that though Mr. Baalu wrote to the Chennai Corporation to release Rs. 40 lakhs to Metropolitan Transport Corporation for construction of a bus terminus at Gandhi Nagar in Adyar, the sum had not been released so far.

He also alleged that a community centre constructed at Saidapet had not been inaugurated for the past two years.

Enclosing a list of more than a dozen welfare works for which Mr. Baalu had sanctioned grants, the MLA said the Kancheepuram District Collector had not released Rs. 95.5 lakhs.

He prayed for a direction to the Chief Secretary to appoint a monitoring committee to oversee the execution of the listed projects.

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