DMK CHARGE
Corruption plaint on CM: DVAC says no proof found
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Chennai:27.09.2018
The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on Wednesday reiterated that the agency could not find any proof for violation of World Bank guidelines in allotting highway contracts, as alleged by the DMK.
Advocate-general Vijay Narayan made the submission on the plea moved by DMK alleging charges of corruption against chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami in awarding highway contracts.
“The successful contractors are not close relatives of chief minister and hence, there is nothing wrong in assigning the work to them,” Narayan said. The contractors are distant relatives, not within the family of chief minister and they had been in the profession since 1991, he added.
As to the charges that the contractors had quoted exorbitant rates for laying the roads, Narayan said, it might be true that roads cost ₹2.2crore per km as contended by the petitioner. But the expenditure differs from one place to another based on different factors. If the expenditure of the road laid by Union of India is considered it costs more than ₹30 crore in some places. Replying to a query raised by Justice A D Jagadish Chandira with regard to the details of amounts paid to the contractors, Narayan submitted that all the details were given in the sealed cover, which was already submitted to the court.
Asserting that there is no violation of the guidelines framed by the World Bank for award of contracts, the advocate general submitted that the petitioner's prayer had already been met with by the DVAC by undertaking preliminary probe into the charges. The inquiry report had
also been forwarded to the Vigilance Commissioner for appropriate action, he added.
As the petitioner sough time to file its response, the judge posted the matter for further hearing on October 5.
According to the petitioner R S Bharathi, organising secretary of DMK, the chief minister, who is also holding the portfolio of the state highway ministry, had abused his power to allocate five highway laying and maintenance projects worth ₹3,500crore to firms owned by his relatives and benamis.
Corruption plaint on CM: DVAC says no proof found
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Chennai:27.09.2018
The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on Wednesday reiterated that the agency could not find any proof for violation of World Bank guidelines in allotting highway contracts, as alleged by the DMK.
Advocate-general Vijay Narayan made the submission on the plea moved by DMK alleging charges of corruption against chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami in awarding highway contracts.
“The successful contractors are not close relatives of chief minister and hence, there is nothing wrong in assigning the work to them,” Narayan said. The contractors are distant relatives, not within the family of chief minister and they had been in the profession since 1991, he added.
As to the charges that the contractors had quoted exorbitant rates for laying the roads, Narayan said, it might be true that roads cost ₹2.2crore per km as contended by the petitioner. But the expenditure differs from one place to another based on different factors. If the expenditure of the road laid by Union of India is considered it costs more than ₹30 crore in some places. Replying to a query raised by Justice A D Jagadish Chandira with regard to the details of amounts paid to the contractors, Narayan submitted that all the details were given in the sealed cover, which was already submitted to the court.
Asserting that there is no violation of the guidelines framed by the World Bank for award of contracts, the advocate general submitted that the petitioner's prayer had already been met with by the DVAC by undertaking preliminary probe into the charges. The inquiry report had
also been forwarded to the Vigilance Commissioner for appropriate action, he added.
As the petitioner sough time to file its response, the judge posted the matter for further hearing on October 5.
According to the petitioner R S Bharathi, organising secretary of DMK, the chief minister, who is also holding the portfolio of the state highway ministry, had abused his power to allocate five highway laying and maintenance projects worth ₹3,500crore to firms owned by his relatives and benamis.
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