THOOTHUKUDI/KANNIYAKUMARI : Projects under the HR&CE department have been brought under the purview of the Estimates Committee after 15 years as Chief Minister MK Stalin is very invested in such projects, Tamil Nadu Assembly Estimates Committee Chairman S Gandhirajan said during his visit to Thoothukudi.
Legislators and officials, led by Gandhirajan, inspected various projects, including bridges across the Thamirabarani in Eral and Authoor, which were damaged during the floods.
Gandhirajan, also the Vedachansur MLA, chaired a review meeting after the field visits and said that the HR&CE, agriculture, animal husbandry, dairy, fisheries and fishermen welfare, backward class welfare, most backward class welfare, minorities, cooperative, highways, minor ports, prisons, municipal administration, TWAD, forest, environment, climate change, and natural resources departments have been brought under the purview of the Estimates Committee this year.
He said that the Estimates Committee is inspecting HR&CE projects for the first time in one and a half decades. “The HR&CE was not under the purview of the Estimates Committee in the past 15 years. Chief Minister MK Stalin is concerned about the HR&CE”, he said adding that agriculture is being reviewed after a long time. Collector K Elambahavath, Legislative Assembly Chief Secretary Dr K Seeiasan, and others were present.
Meanwhile, the committee led by Gandhirajan also inspected the ongoing works in Nagercoil and other parts of Kanniyakumari district on Wednesday. Along with District Collector R Alagumeena, they visited Kanniyakumari, inspecting the glass bridge construction work connecting the Thiruvallavar statue and Vivekananda Rock Memorial.
After the inspection, Gandhirajan said 70% of the glass bridge construction had been completed. Inspecting a ration shop in Puthalam area, the committee members inaugurated the disbursal of loans to the tune of Rs 6.2 crore for 1,228 beneficiaries through various primary agriculture cooperative credit societies.