Tamil Nadu sets up committee to probe irregularities in smart city project

According to the government order issued by chief secretary V Irai Anbu, the committee with IAS officer PWC Davidar will inquire into whether the selection of works under the project was implemented in accordance with the guidelines. The committee will also check whether the project was being done in public interest, the extent to which the works selected under the mission impacted the development of the cities as envisaged under the mission guidelines, whether smart cities’ purpose vehicles were set up and whether the government of India and Tamil Nadu grants were utilised as per the guidelines.

The committee will also check whether due procedure was followed in the award of contracts for the works under the mission, whether adequate measures were taken to ensure the quality of works, and whether any major flaws had been pointed out by any statutory authority. The committee would be submitting its report within a period of three months.

A few months back, when heavy rains lashed the city, water stagnation was reported in many areas, particularly in the commercial hub of the city — Theyagaraya Nagar (T Nagar).

During inspection, Chief Minister MK Stalin said that though they were able to flush out the stagnant water in other areas in a day or two, it took them almost a week to drain the floodwaters in T Nagar as the storm water drains in the area were completely blocked and the platforms were raised as part of the smart city projects. Claiming that the erstwhile AIADMK government indulged in many irregularities in implementing the smart city project, Stalin had added that a committee would be formed to it and strict action would be taken against the contractors who implemented the project.