Friday, October 31, 2014

'Erroneous' Right to Info Reply Exposes Unlaid Roads under Avadi Municipality

The New Indian Express: Chennai: Friday, 31 October 2014.
CHENNAI: After dilly dallying in providing information under the RTI Act, Avadi municipality has exposed itself to trouble by giving erroneous details on the status of roads laid in the locality.
Mohammed Iliyaas of Satta Panchayat Iyakkam had sought details of works completed in Avadi municipality. However, information was denied and the municipality provided details about work carried out in only a single ward (Ward number 27).  In the reply, it was mentioned that concrete roads were laid in Alagirisamy Street, Kalaignar Street, Mayor Stalin Street, Velayutham Street, and KVK Samy Street at a cost of Rs 14 lakh, Rs 4 lakh, Rs 4.7 lakh, and Rs 20 lakh respectively.
When Iliyas along with Satta Panchayat Iyakkam president Siva Ilango visited the spot, they were shocked to find that no road had been laid in the four streets as mentioned.
“The roads are laid only on paper, not on the streets,” said Iliyas while highlighting the condition of roads in the area.
“We demand that legal action be taken against officials who have approved payment for these unlaid roads. We are exposing this during the Vigilance Awareness Week,” he pointed out.
Speaking to Express, Avadi Municipal Commissioner Sivasubramanian denied allegations of any irregularities. However, he accepted that roads were not laid in those four streets and attributed the mistake in its reply to a ‘clerical error’.
“This is a packaged work. We did take up works on nearby streets. Work on the four streets would be completed after the monsoon. The work was not taken up since the work on underground sewage network as well as water connections are not completed,” Sivasubramanian said.
To avoid such lapses, Satta Panchayat Iyakkam has proposed to make available details of all civic works online. He suggested that all roads in Corporation or Municipalities be allotted a unique number along with all connected details such as the date when it was laid, the contract amount, the contractor’s name, the minimum guarantee period.
If an SMS is sent mentioning the road number, all relevant details should be given to the sender immediately. By having such a system, citizens would be able to have quick access to data regarding their local roads. Such a system would enable citizens fight corruption, he added.