Tamil Nadu CM Stalin, Palaniswami spar over smart city project

CM Stalin said the state government would order an inquiry into the project implemented by the previous AIADMK government. “They advertised for smart city and have looted (in the project),” he told reporters.

Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin and AIADMK co-coordinator Edapaddi Palaniswami on Tuesday clashed over a gamut of smart city projects under Union government’s Smart City Mission, with the former questioning its effectiveness in preventing Chennai floods and alleging ‘irregularities in funds’.

Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin sought details of the funds received from the Centre under the smart city project and warned contractors, who were responsible for its execution, of strict action. (ANI)

CM Stalin said the state government would order an inquiry into the projects implemented by the previous AIADMK government. “They advertised for smart city and have looted (in the project),” Stalin told reporters.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) supremo sought details of the funds received from the Centre under the smart city project and warned contractors, who were responsible for its execution, of strict action.

“They got several crores of rupees from the Union Government for implementing the smart city project. We don’t know what has happened to those funds,” Stalin said.

Stalin also accused the former municipal administration minister S P Velumani of “collecting commission” instead of making efforts to mitigate floods. Stalin also accused Velumani of looting funds meant for stormwater drains. “Still, we are managing the situation,” he said after touring the worst-affected areas in Chennai for the third straight day on Tuesday. Palaniswami rebutted that only because of projects implemented under smart city has flooding reduced despite such heavy rainfall. He, in turn, questioned what Stalin had done when he was Chennai’s mayor between 1996 and 2002. “If the waterlogging is less in many areas, it is because of the work done during the 10-year AIADMK government. We were the ones who constructed stormwater drains in several areas which have not been affected now,” Palaniswami said.

Chennai’s dense residential and commercial locality of T Nagar is where the smart city project, including stormwater drain, was implemented, but the locality still has knee-deep water.

Water had entered the homes of several residents in T Nagar who began moving to check into hotels in the dry parts of the city on Monday and Tuesday. “There was no flooding last year. There seems to be an issue with the Mambalam canal has been filled with debris,” said a senior official of the corporation. Restoring the Mambalam canal in T Nagar is part of work under Smart Cities Mission.