The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Panel to accord sanction for prosecuting five engineers

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Friday, May 27, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Panel to accord sanction for prosecuting five engineers

Staff Reporter

Misappropriation alleged in Flyover project

The engineers prepared the material books "in a manner which they knew or believed to be incorrect."

CHENNAI: The City Corporation's Appointments Committee on Thursday passed a resolution to accord sanction for prosecuting five engineers — who were earlier in the Bridges Department — in connection with the alleged flyover scam.

At an emergency session, the Committee decided to clear the decks for the prosecution of S. Anbuselvan, T. K. Ganesan, Arul Viju, N. Rajasekar and N. Mathavan on charges of preparing M-Books (material books) "in a manner which they knew or believed to be incorrect."

(In June 29, 2001, the former Corporation Commissioner, J.T. Acharyulu, had filed a case alleging large-scale misappropriation of funds in the construction of nine mini-flyovers in different parts of the city. He had named the former Chief Minister and DMK chief, M. Karunanidhi, the former Mayor, M.K. Stalin, and several other officials as accused in the case.)

The resolution stated that the engineers had recorded in the M-Books that TISCON-CRS steel rods were used for the construction of some of the flyovers whereas, in fact, non-TISCON-CRS rods were used. This resulted in a financial loss of Rs. 33,06,726 to the Corporation.

These engineers had "dishonestly converted a sum of Rs. 33,06,726 being the difference between the actual cost of non-TISCON steel rods used for construction of nine mini-flyovers and the value of the TISCON-CRS rods which should have been used for this work as per the contract, for their own use by way of preparing, certifying and sanctioning the relevant bills in favour of M/s Gammon India Ltd," the resolution added.

They, along with 11 other civic body engineers, were facing charges under sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code. The resolution also sought the Government's decision on one of the engineers who had retired.

Appointments Committee member and Congress councillor Saidai P. Ravi sought the deferment of the resolution, which was placed before the Committee as a table agenda, stating that the issue was controversial and required to be discussed at length. Deputy Mayor R. Thiagarajan ignored the objection and passed the resolution, Mr. Ravi said.

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