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Friday, Aug 31, 2007
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Suo motu proceedings against engineer

Staff Reporter

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday initiated suo motu contempt proceedings against V. Sreenivasakam, Executive Engineer, Periyar Vaigai Basin Division, Public Works Department, who had not disbursed Rs.548.96 lakh to several contractors for a long time.

Refusing to accept the engineer’s contention that the Government was yet to allot funds to clear the liabilities, a Division Bench comprising Justice Prafulla Kumar Misra and Justice A.C. Arumuga Perumal Adityan said that it was unable to accept the argument, especially when funds were available for “several other activities.”

The judges also dismissed a petition filed by the engineer seeking extension of time limit by six months to pay Rs.26,63,696 to one of the contractors as directed by another Division Bench on June 7. Mr. Sreenivasakam claimed that the Government, through a communication dated July 30, 2007, had advised him to obtain sufficient time from the court to clear the dues.

The contractor, G. Mehela of Madurai, said that the engineer had entrusted 10 works such as repairing sluices, desilting water bodies and strengthening the bunds at Vadipatti and Tirumanagalam taluks near here. The works were completed in 2002. But the payment was not made for more than three years and so she filed a writ petition before the Bench in 2005.

The petition was disposed of on January 3, 2006 with a direction to consider the petitioner’s representation within three months.

Thereafter, a writ appeal filed by the Executive Engineer was dismissed by a Division Bench on June 7 with a direction to disburse the money within a month. Unable to comply with the order, the engineer had filed the present petition seeking six more months.

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