40% of corpn funds for projects goes to zone that houses minister's constituency

Times of India: Coimbatore: Thursday, 11 February 2016.

The corporation has allotted a large chunk of projects to the south zone, comprising Thondamuthur, the constituency of rural administration minister S P Velumani. Among the five zones in the city, the south got 583 projects in the 20 months out of the total 2,000 projects, RTI replies have revealed. Members of other political parties allege that money spent on the south zone was much more than the allotted amount.

M Krishnaswamy, a party functionary of MDMK, had filed an RTI application seeking information about the corporation's expenditure from January, 2014 till August, 2015. "As per the replies, out of the Rs231.36crore that was allotted for various projects such as roads, drains, reserve site development, Rs93.71crore was allotted for south zone alone which amounts to nearly 40.5% of the total allotment. The other zones have only received funds to pursue the underground drainage work and some road work," he alleged.

Opposition party councillors alleged that the Coimbatore corporation has not been carrying out work equally in all wards. "For the past few years, more projects have been implemented in the south zone, compared to the other zones. Every time we contact the engineers or contractors, they tell us that only projects in south zone were sanctioned and the projects in our wards would begin later," said A Nandakumar of DMK party.

Recently, CPM councillor V Ramamoorthy had gone on a hunger strike as the corporation did not carry out any project that was sanctioned in his ward. It was only after his hunger strike, the civic body carried out projects sanctioned in his ward. "They are working only for one zone ," said Ramamoorthy.

S M Samy of DMK said that even in the south zone, work has been carried out only in Kurichi, Kuniyamuthur, Kovai Pudur and Sundarapuram and other areas that come under the Thondamuthur constituency.

Corporation engineers and various officials also said that while road work and drain work were sanctioned in all zones, construction took place only in the south zone. "The contractors are always busy with works in the south zone," said an engineer.

Krishnaswamy said he also petitioned the Tamil Nadu governor seeking action against the Coimbatore corporation commissioner K Vijayakarthikeyan, deputy commissioner Gandhimathi, city mayor P Rajkumar and the MLA, S P Velumani.

Vijayakarthikeyan denied the charges and said that work was being carried out equally in all wards. "Projects were sanctioned and the works are being carried out equally in all the zones. We have ensured quality and speed in the implementation of the works," said Vijayakarthkeyan.