The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : 'Chidambaram adopting big brother attitude'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 04, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

'Chidambaram adopting big brother attitude'

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, MARCH 3. The Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, today accused the Union Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram, of adopting a "big brother attitude" in blaming the State Government for the delay in starting the multicrore desalination plant for Chennai.

In a statement here, she said her Government would implement the project on a design, build, own, operate and transfer (DBOOT) basis "notwithstanding the fact that Mr. Chidambaram had not provided any assistance in the Union budget for 2005-2006."

Referring to his remark on February 28 that since water was a State subject, the Tamil Nadu Government had to be consulted, she said, "without bothering even to check as to what was the position relating to the desalination plant already announced by the State Government, Mr. Chidambaram proceeded to pencil in a grand announcement in his budget speech in July 2004." He should "first ask himself whether it was ethical and proper on his part to portray an on-going scheme of the State Government to implement a 300-MLD (million litres a day) desalination plant as a scheme being taken up by the Centre."

Recalling her Government's efforts to install a desalination plant in the city, she said the Centre was not at all in the picture when the State first announced its intention to implement the project on the DBOOT basis on May 2, 2003. Though the Madras High Court ordered a stay on a petition filed by a bidder, it upheld the Government's position in October and passed strictures on the bidder, besides levying a penalty. The Government called for bids again in November 2004.

`Mistaken impression'

Ms. Jayalalithaa also asked Mr. Chidambaram to state what provision he actually made for the project in the 2004-2005 budget. Many were under the "mistaken impression" that he had announced a specific allocation of Rs. 1,000 crores for the proposed desalination plant in Chennai, she said. The Minister only said the Centre proposed to put up the first large desalination plant near Chennai in the State sector and more such plants would be installed along the Coramandel Coast. He also said a 300-MLD plant was estimated to cost Rs.1,000 crores, there would be other costs for transmission pipelines and a captive power plant, and it was proposed to implement the project through public-private partnership, Ms. Jayalalithaa recalled.

`Stop this drama'

"Now a pretence is made as if the Centre had offered Rs.1,000 crores for the plant. In the Central budget, all that seems to have been allocated as per the First Supplementary Estimates made in September 2004 was a meagre Rs.5 crores. This kind of drama should be stopped forthwith, namely, trumpeting that the Centre was willing to give Rs.1,000 crores and the State was not taking it. This is an utter travesty of the truth," she said.

On Mr. Chidambaram's contention that he had waited for the results of the State Government/Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board's bid, which was opened on February 16, and as no information was available up to February 25, he could not make any budgetary provision, Ms. Jayalalithaa said it was "churlish" to quote this as a reason for non-allocation of funds. For, it would take a minimum of 60 days to complete evaluation of the bids. The Centre could have allotted funds in the Budget Estimates 2005-2006 on the basis of the State's request for financial support for the desalination plant in December 2004.

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