Date:26/03/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/26/stories/2008032658320100.htm

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Scam charge hits sewage treatment plants project

K.V. Prasad

COIMBATORE: Charges of kickbacks have pushed into a phase of uncertainty the Coimbatore Corporation’s project to establish two sewage treatment plants as part of its Rs. 377-crore underground drainage scheme. One plant is planned at Ukkadam at Rs. 54 crore, with a capacity of treating 70 million litres of sewage a day. The other one will be established at Nanjudapuram with a capacity of 40 million litres at Rs. 35 crore.

The drainage scheme, pending for a decade, is just about showing signs of implementation after being cleared by the Central Government. But the charges have led to fresh auditing of the project for the treatment plants at a time when the awarding of contracts to establish these should have come to the Council for approval.

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Communist Party of India (Marxist) demanded fresh tenders at the Corporation Council on Monday, after the former alleged Rs. 18 crore kickbacks in the awarding of contracts.The charges have put Mayor R. Venkatachalam, his party, Congress, and its ally, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in a fix. The Mayor has opted for a fresh audit, while the DMK is upset that this has been done without its consent.

Leader of the AIADMK in the Council P. Rajkumar contends that though the DMK complains of Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission schemes being delayed, it is actually upset that Council approval for the treatment plants project is held up by the auditing. The Mayor is also responsible for the scam and he should resign, says the AIADMK councillor. “We will not allow the project to be implemented in its present form. It will be wrong for the DMK and the Congress to try and pass a resolution on this in the Council by using their combined majority.” Corporation North Zone Chairman and CPI (M) member C. Padmanabhan says: “It is not right to implement the scheme without clearing the scam”. Sources in the Corporation say there are differences not only between the Congress and the DMK but also within the latter over this project. There are sections in both the parties that want the truth to be brought out.