An RTI activist has urged Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa to look into the alleged irregularities by Town and Country Planning Department in according permission to DMK strongman and former Union Chemicals and Fertilizer Minister M K Alagiri’s trust to build an engineering college in Madurai.
In a letter to CM, the RTI activist and farmer Ramalingam said as per the RTI information available, the local planning authority gave technical sanction to Daya Engineering college on December 24, 2008 as per resolution number 60 passed by the village panchayat. But it was found that resolution 60 pertains to consent given to construction of a roof to give protection to village funeral vehicle.
As per the RTI, a copy of which is available with Express, the field survey of the land was conducted by Thillai Sethupathy, Assistant Director of Town and Country Planning, nearly five months before the application seeking technical consent was sought. What is the need to do a field survey for giving consent to the college on March 23, 2008 when the application actually was put up only on December 18, 2008,” Ramalingam reasoned further.
Ramalingam also says a wrong map was prepared to get approval from the town and country planning authorities. He says that the sluices of Karisal kanmoi was modernised at a cost of ` 20.70 lakh in 1992 from a grant received from a foreign country.
He also alleged that Public Works Department made estimate for five sluices but were unable to complete the work as the engineering college is situated on the irrigation land of the fourth sluice.
Urging the CM to take action against the malpractices, he said he had enough documents to prove the irregularities.