Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Emergency meeting demanded

K.V. Prasad

Fallout of computer training scam in Corporation

COIMBATORE: Even as it comes to terms with the exposure of a scam in computer training for below poverty line candidates under the Centre's Swarna Jayanthi Swarozgar Yojana scheme, the Coimbatore Corporation is faced with the task of countering reports of the transfer of an officer who investigated it.

The Opposition members who have been alleging corruption at various levels in the civic body are sharpening their knives for the next meeting of the Council. One of them has even demanded an emergency meeting of the Council to discuss the situation.

The City Health Officer, N. Raghupathy, a clerk of the Corporation, and the owner of a private computer centre have been named as accused in the case registered by the City Police.

The charge against them is that they had provided nearly 1,000 fictitious names to make it appear as though these many candidates had undergone vocational training in operating computers.

Even as the civic body is trying to set things in order, it is battling hard to dismiss reports of the transfer of Assistant City Health Officer, P. Sivanesan, who had inquired into the scam.

Civic officials clarified on Monday that the Director of Public Health had been briefed for departmental action against the City Health Officer. Besides, they also denied that the ACHO had been transferred. No transfer order had been received yet, they pointed out.

In a letter to the Mayor, T. Malaravan, M. Krishnaswamy (MDMK), called for the convening of the meeting immediately stating that it was needed to discuss the "unprecedented and extraordinary" situation that has arisen in the Corporation.

Besides the computer-training episode, the councillor said "irregularities" in the Revenue Department of the civic body should also be discussed in the meeting. Stating that the Council and the public should be apprised of the developments, the letter said the meeting should take up the issue of a number of files (on various works) remaining uncleared, non-completion of development schemes listed in the budget last year and also the demand for gravel roads in unapproved layouts.

The Leader of the Opposition, K. P. Jagannathan (DMK), has said in a letter to the Commissioner, Anil Meshram, that criminal action should be initiated against the guilty. He has also alleged that irregularities in tax collection leads to loss of revenue to the civic body.

While the Opposition is of the unanimous view that there are irregularities at various levels in the Corporation, it is yet to make a joint representation for an emergency meeting of the Council. While a section of the Opposition feels that the situation warrants such a meeting, the rest feels it is not required since a probe has been conducted and action is being initiated.

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