Times
of India: Chennai: Saturday, 13 February 2016.
A day after
TOI reported on the city corporation's plan to install LED lights at a cost of
145.67 crore, after declining a Central scheme which would have entailed
virtually no initial expense, activists have urged the civic body to disclose
on its website all such projects which are passed without discussion as 'table
resolutions'.
The
corporation, in the latest council meet on January 29, had approved the LED
project without any discussions through 82 table resolutions. Over the past one
year, it had passed tenders worth more than Rs 2,000 crore through table
resolutions, including a Rs 1,100-crore storm water drainage project and a Rs
159-crore concrete road project.
Activists and
legal experts say the civic body can table resolutions in the council meet only
in case of an emergency like natural disasters. But what should have been an
exception, is now becoming the norm for many projects, and this is a blow to
bringing in transparency, they alleged. Former bureaucrat M G Devasahayam said
the energy service companies (Esco) model, which could have cost Rs37 crore, is
a widely appreciated model across the globe to bring in energy efficiency
without any investment.
"It's
shocking that the corporation passed such a huge project without even giving
the details of work to the elected representatives and media persons. Table
resolutions appear to be a fraudulent way to get kickbacks," he
said."For Chennai Corporation, transparency is the least in their agenda.
Ideally, corporation should follow suo motu disclosure and update details on
its website under the RTI Act," But it is really being followed and nobody
knows how the money is being spent" said Jayaram Venkatesan from Arappor
Iyakkam, an NGO.
RTI activist
Senthil Arumugam said the civic body is taking up projects at short notice
without any discussions because of the elections. "Why should citizens pay
property tax if their elected representatives are not allowed to speak
regarding the civic projects. It is unfortunate that corporation continues to
keep everything opaque."
Former
Chennai mayor M Subramanian said: "Ideally, the corporation council should
pass a resolution after it is discussed at the ward level and standing
committee. There was no urgency to pass the LED project as it could have been
passed in the next council after giving sufficient time for councillors to
raise their concerns."
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