About four months after a helipad at Arignar Anna Stadium in Cuddalore was expanded to enable a helicopter carrying Chief Minister Jayalalitha to land, the Madras High Court has sought to know the present condition of the facility and who would bear the expenses involved in restoring the stadium to its original condition.
Passing orders on a three-time MLA’s PIL on Aug 27, the first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M Sathyanayaranan said: “The question is who bears the expenses. Get instructions on the status of the stadium and also as to who would bear the expenses.”
In his PIL, former MLA Ela Pugazhendi submitted that the stadium was the second largest in the state, and that a football ground inside the facility suffered irreparable damage because authorities extended the helipad for Jayalalitha during her visit to the town during campaigning for parliamentary polls in April this year.
The petitioner said the stadium, the second largest in the State, was being maintained by the District Spots and Youth Welfare Officer. He alleged that in April this year, the helipad area was extended from 29.80 square metres to 45 square metres to facilitate the landing of the helicopter used by Jayalalitha for the Lok Sabha poll campaign.
The helipad, in its original size itself, was safe, and there was no need to extend it by encroaching upon a football playground. To an RTI question, the Collector replied in May that no order was passed by the government for extending the helipad. Pugazhendi said it was not known how the helipad was allowed to be expanded and who bore the expenditure.
He prayed that the Secretary of the Department of Youth Welfare and Sports Development be directed to consider his April 21 representation and order the removal of the extended portion of the helipad and restore the playground for regular use. The entire expenditure for the work and compensation should be collected from the ADMK, he said.
Former US President Bill Clinton’s helicopter landed at the same spot in 2006 when he came on a visit to a fishing village which suffered extensive damage during tsunami, Pugazhendi’s counsel R Neelakandan said, adding that even for the ex-US President the helipad remained untouched. “Hence it is clear that the helipad, in its original size itself, was safe. There was no necessity to extent its surface, encroaching upon the playground,” he said.
Besides petitioning the district administration to restore the football ground, Neelakandan said he had been obtaining information under the RTI Act pertaining to permission and allotment of funds for extension of helipad for the chief minister. An RTI reply conceded that no formal order was obtained from the government to extend the surface of the helipad, he said, adding that it was not known who allowed extension of the helipad and whose money was used for the purpose. “It is still not disclosed that who spent the amount carrying out the expansion of the helipad surface,” he said.
Passing orders on a three-time MLA’s PIL on Aug 27, the first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M Sathyanayaranan said: “The question is who bears the expenses. Get instructions on the status of the stadium and also as to who would bear the expenses.”
In his PIL, former MLA Ela Pugazhendi submitted that the stadium was the second largest in the state, and that a football ground inside the facility suffered irreparable damage because authorities extended the helipad for Jayalalitha during her visit to the town during campaigning for parliamentary polls in April this year.
The petitioner said the stadium, the second largest in the State, was being maintained by the District Spots and Youth Welfare Officer. He alleged that in April this year, the helipad area was extended from 29.80 square metres to 45 square metres to facilitate the landing of the helicopter used by Jayalalitha for the Lok Sabha poll campaign.
The helipad, in its original size itself, was safe, and there was no need to extend it by encroaching upon a football playground. To an RTI question, the Collector replied in May that no order was passed by the government for extending the helipad. Pugazhendi said it was not known how the helipad was allowed to be expanded and who bore the expenditure.
He prayed that the Secretary of the Department of Youth Welfare and Sports Development be directed to consider his April 21 representation and order the removal of the extended portion of the helipad and restore the playground for regular use. The entire expenditure for the work and compensation should be collected from the ADMK, he said.
Former US President Bill Clinton’s helicopter landed at the same spot in 2006 when he came on a visit to a fishing village which suffered extensive damage during tsunami, Pugazhendi’s counsel R Neelakandan said, adding that even for the ex-US President the helipad remained untouched. “Hence it is clear that the helipad, in its original size itself, was safe. There was no necessity to extent its surface, encroaching upon the playground,” he said.
Besides petitioning the district administration to restore the football ground, Neelakandan said he had been obtaining information under the RTI Act pertaining to permission and allotment of funds for extension of helipad for the chief minister. An RTI reply conceded that no formal order was obtained from the government to extend the surface of the helipad, he said, adding that it was not known who allowed extension of the helipad and whose money was used for the purpose. “It is still not disclosed that who spent the amount carrying out the expansion of the helipad surface,” he said.
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