THIRUVANATHAPURAM: Inquiry Commissioner and Special Judge (Vigilance), Thiruvananthapuram, here on Tuesday ordered a Vigilance probe against Kerala Congress leader T M Jacob, who was the Minister for Water Resources during the previous UDF government, and three others on allegations of corruption with regard to Theerapadham drinking water project. Shortly after the court announced the order, T M Jacob dismissed the allegation as politically motivated.
It was based on a petition filed by social activist P K Raju that Vigilance Judge S Jagadees ordered the Vigilance probe against Jacob and three other officials of the Kerala Water Authority, Public Health Division and Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project (KSUDP).
The petitioner contended that Theerapadham drinking water project, launched in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation in 2004 at an estimated cost of Rs 10.15 crore, had to be abandoned midway due to the poor quality of pipes used. The work on the project had to be put on hold for about 58 times due to frequent maintenance works following breaks in pipes. According to the petitioner, it was found that the pipes used in the project were discarded by Tamil Nadu Government as useless. The Judge, in the order, also stated that since the complicity of the respondents were not revealed from the averments in the complaint, the actual culprits involved in the offence had also to be found out during the inquiry by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau.
Jacob who addressed mediapersons on Tuesday said that the project did not come under the departments in which he was in charge as a minister. The project was completely under the governance of the Thiruvananthapuram City Corporation and KSUDP. The KWA did not have any role concerning the project from inviting tenders to the payment of bills, he said. He expressed confidence that that he will prove his innocence before the court.