NGO demands suspension of Chennai Corporation engineer for alleged involvement in illegal tenders
CHENNAI: The city-based civic rights organisation Arappor Iyakkam has written to Chennai Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi, calling for the suspension of Chief Engineer L Nandakumar for his alleged involvement in the illegal tenders mentioned in the FIR against former Municipal Administration Minister SP Velumani.
After a complaint by Arappor Iyakkam, an FIR was filed on August 9 against a few officials and contractors of the Chennai and Coimbatore Corporation and Velumani by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption. Following this, the houses of Nandakumar and others were searched on August 10.
Nandakumar was the Superintending Engineer of bus route roads in 2015 and was the main tender authority for the illegal tenders mentioned in the FIR, the representation by Arappor stated.
“Similarly, there are many storm water drain tenders during the period of 2014 to 2018 which are part of the investigation for which he is still the Chief Engineer. His continuance in the corporation even after the registration of the FIR and house search may result in destruction of evidence and cause irreparable damage to the investigation,” the letter, written by Arappor Iyakkam’s convenor Jayaram Venkatesan, said.
The letter also called for action against other corporation officials who were involved in injudiciously awarding tenders in the bus route road and storm water drain departments of the city corporation and also in contracts pertaining to outsourcing of staff for the health department and other contract works in the Greater Chennai and Coimbatore municipal corporations.