CHENNAI: Mayor Saidai S Duraisamy on Thursday said that the reported irregularities in disposal of garbage at dumping yards in the city caused a loss of a few lakhs to the Chennai Corporation each day.
A detailed inquiry to probe the irregularities that allegedly took place between 2006 and 2011 has been ordered and stern action is expected against those who benefited from the illegal activity.
Earlier, replying to a question at a council meeting, the Mayor said that a dawn to dusk inquiry carried out by the Corporation’s vigilance wing at the Perungudi dumping yard had found out that only 634 vehicles had entered the yard between February 15 and 17 this year.
“But the registry at the yard has recorded the entry of 662 vehicles. It also has records of 68 vehicles visiting the yard for the purpose of disposing of garbage, which is apparently false,” he said. Stating that the entry of 40 other vehicles into the dumping yard was missing from the registry, he said the inquiry report would be tabled in the council meeting after the completion of the investigation.
Raising the issue Councillor Magizhappan, representing Ward 78, alleged that large-scale corruption took place in the disposal of garbage at the two dumping yards at Kodungaiyur and Perungudi during the previous DMK regime.
Alleging that Congress leader ‘Karate’ R Thiyagrajan, former mayor M Subramanian and former deputy chief minister M K Stalin were part of another irregularity of forging debris along with garbage while disposing of it at the dumping yard, he sought action against them.
This evoked sharp criticism from the DMK councillors on the floor, who took offence at the DMK being associated with corruption that took place in the last five years.