THENI/MADURAI: Urging Chief Minister MK Stalin to conduct an inquiry into the expenditure incurred by the state government for installing the John Pennycuick statue in London, Periyar Vaigai Irrigation Farmers Association Coordinator S Anvar Balasingam released a statement on Friday.
Minister I Periyasamy unveiled the Mullai Periyar Dam architect Pennycuick's statue at Camberley in London on September 10 last year. Tamil Nadu government allotted Rs 10.65 lakh for the statue, but the company that designed the statue asked for an additional Rs 28 lakh amount, and citing that this amount was pending, the company covered the statue.
"Opposition leader Edappadi K Palaniswami raised a question about this in the Assembly, and Minister for Water Resources Duraimurugan promised necessary action. Further, it was surprising to hear that BJP state president K Annamalai released a statement claiming that he would unveil the Pennycuick statue on July 24. So, the Chief Minister should intervene in the matter and shed light on the truth," Balasingam added.
Similarly, former AIADMK Minister RB Udhayakumar in a statement urged Chief Minister Stalin to reveal the present status of the statue. "BJP leader Annamalai's claim that the statue was undertaken by St.Peter's Church management seems to contradict Minister for Information and Broadcasting Swaminathan's statement in the Assembly that the statue was unveiled again by the Tamil Nadu government after negotiation with contract builders in London," he said.