An outsider visiting Tamil Nadu
would have been flabbergasted on reading newspapers on December 31.
There were so many reports on Chief Minister Jayalalitha.
She flagged off 414 bus services. As part of the presentation of cheques for about Rs. 154 crore to 5,151 pensioners of the government-run transport corporations towards terminal benefits, she handed over cheques to four pensioners. She also declared open buildings of the Institute of Road and Transport Technology in Erode which were constructed at a cost of about Rs. 2.37 crore.
Another government release stated that 106 persons had been sanctioned an assistance of Rs. 6 crore under the New Entrepreneur-cum-Enterprise Development Scheme and schemes of the Tamil Nadu Adi-Dravidar Housing and Urban Development Corporation (TAHDCO) for entrepreneurship development. To mark the inauguration of the schemes, the Chief Minister handed over letters, communicating sanction of loan, to seven beneficiaries.
Yet another release stated that seven lakh slum dwellers are to get compact fluorescent lamps free of cost in a few nmonths. This will be in the initial phase of implementation of the scheme of free distribution of CFLs, which Chief Minister Jayalalitha inaugurated through video conferencing. To mark the inauguration, she handed over such lamps to seven beneficiaries.
The Chief Minister also commissioned a roof-top solar photovoltaic plant of 60 kilo watt, installed at a cost of Rs. 55.8 lakh at the 10-storeyed headquarters of Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO).
Besides, 50 sub-stations, at a total cost of Rs. 509.88 crore, were declared open by the Chief Minister. They included two 230-kilo volt (KV) substations, twenty nine 110-KV substations and nineteen 33-KV substations
In a boost to the healthcare infrastructure, Chief Minister Jayalalitha inaugurated maternity wards at two government hospitals (GHs) that serve the rural and semi-urban areas of the district through video conference.
A 36-bedded maternity ward was inaugurated at the Perianaickenpalayam GH along with a laboratory with scanning equipment. The hospital expansion and purchase of new equipment was taken up at a cost of Rs. 1 crore.
A 12-bedded maternity ward constructed a cost of Rs. 40 lakh at the Thondamuthur GH was also inaugurated.
The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone for the construction of the new integrated multi facility Salem Corporation building, at an estimate of Rs. 7.68 crore. Mayor of Salem Corporation S. Soundappan thanked the Chief Minister for sanctioning funds for the building.
Chief Minister inaugurated Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation’s (TANGEDCO) 33 KV sub-station at Mahatma Gandhi Nagar in Madurai through video conferencing from her camp office at Kodanadu. It had been established at an outlay of Rs. 4.77 crore spent on purchasing land and equipment as well as construction.
Collector L. Subramanian, TANGEDCO Chief Engineer- Distribution (in-charge) M. Balasubramanian and Superintending Engineer S. Eswara Subramanian were present during the inauguration
Jayalalitha inaugurated the Tiruvannamalai Water Supply Improvement Scheme through video conferencing. The Rs. 36.66-crore scheme was sanctioned in 2010, by the then DMK government, and works begun and continued for years. As per the scheme Tiruvannamalai Municipality will get increased quantity of water from the Sathanur Pickup Dam constructed across River Thenpennaiyar on the down side of main Sathanur Reservoir.
Collector A. Gnanasekaran and Kalasappakkam MLA Agri S.S. Krishnamurthi participated in a function held at Tiruvannamalai Municipal Boys Higher Secondary School premises.
The next day (Dec 31) new buildings constructed at 17 Government Hospitals across the State at a cost of around Rs. 18.27 crore were inaugurated by her.The buildings were to house the cardio ward, ophthalmic ward, maternity ward, OP block, modernised kitchen, rest room, operation theatre, NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), CEmONC (Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and New Born Care) ward, paediatric ward and ICU. The 17 government hospitals are in Sathur, Usilampatti, Kallakurchi, Tindivanam, Sendhamangalm, Velur, Komarapalayam, Chidambaram, Kattumannarkoil, Thondamuthur, Perianaickenpalayam, Tiruvallur, Tiruthani, Kumbakonam, Sirkazhi, Ambur and Kodaikanal.
The Chief Minister also announced that the gift package containing ingredients for making sweet pongal would be distributed to people before the Pongal festival. The 1.84 crore ration card holders were eligible. This will cost the government Rs. 281 crore. The government released a photograph of the Chief Minister holding a consultative meeting for this at her Kodanad camp office with ministers O.Panneerselvam, Natham R.Viswanathan, K.P.Munusamy, R.Vaithilingam and R.Kamaraj, Chief Secretary Sheela Balakrishnan, Finance Secretary K.Shanmugam and other higher officials, who were all along with their subordinate officers and staff obviously flown there for this ‘Yes, Madam’ meeting.
All these events took place at the Kodanad camp office of Jayalalitha in The Nilgiris district.
A cursory glance of the reports suggest that most of these programmes could have been attended some ministers or officials at the local level and do not warrant a Chief Minister to inaugurate them or distribute benefits. But as a rule in ADMK regime all ‘glory’ should go to her and blames to the DMK or Centre.
But how much are the expenses involved in this extravagant exercise. As this photograph of the ‘function’ held at Madurai for showcasing the Chief Minister inaugurating through video conferencing, stages were put up and local ministers, district collectors and officials in attendance standing reverentially, besides a ‘herd of audience’ brought from various places were seen in all venues. Many other ministers and higher officials and all other paraphernalia were flown from Chennai to Kodanad mansion of her which had been converted into a mini secretariat during her stay there. And beneficiaries were also to be moved from several parts of the State to Kodanad and arrangements were made for their stay and food. About 6,000 police personnel drawn from many districts are also stationed in various parts of the hill station for security duties. They complained of suffering in chill weather of winter without provision of any special protective clothing.
How much expenses are incurred for all these arrangements for a day’s show and in daily shunting of higher officials with files between Chennai and Kodanad by air is anybody’s guess. Hopefully the Comptroller and Auditor General’s report may point it out.
Since her assuming office in May 2011, Jayalalitha had made it a custom to camp at her Kodanad mansion for about two months in December and January. And official releases invariably state that she would attend to official works from there. Heads of governments in Centre and States occasionally do camp at certain places for brief periods. But no Chief Minister in States or Prime Minster at Centre had ever been away from the headquarters regularly like this and for such long periods. Besides causing dislocation in the functioning of the Secretariat, such trips and camps of Jayalalitha must be too expensive for the government.
Much more, Jayalalitha claims that ‘she is for the people and by the people’ (k¡fS¡fhf k¡fshš eh‹). So the people of Tamil Nadu have interest and care for her and hence have right to know why she has to sojourn at the hill station every year for such long periods. As a public servant she has the duty to explain the reason for her long absence from the headquarters. People are not prepared to accept so many reasons speculated and want a categorical statement from the government on the condition of their Chief Minister!
When the cry for transparency in governance and administration has became louder in the nation, especially after the advent of Right to Information Act, A Chief Minister cannot remain so opaque and expensive too. Hindu devotees say “It’s Ayodhya where (lord) Ram is”. Under ADMK regime it seems, “It is Chennai/Secretariat where Amma is”!
She flagged off 414 bus services. As part of the presentation of cheques for about Rs. 154 crore to 5,151 pensioners of the government-run transport corporations towards terminal benefits, she handed over cheques to four pensioners. She also declared open buildings of the Institute of Road and Transport Technology in Erode which were constructed at a cost of about Rs. 2.37 crore.
Another government release stated that 106 persons had been sanctioned an assistance of Rs. 6 crore under the New Entrepreneur-cum-Enterprise Development Scheme and schemes of the Tamil Nadu Adi-Dravidar Housing and Urban Development Corporation (TAHDCO) for entrepreneurship development. To mark the inauguration of the schemes, the Chief Minister handed over letters, communicating sanction of loan, to seven beneficiaries.
Yet another release stated that seven lakh slum dwellers are to get compact fluorescent lamps free of cost in a few nmonths. This will be in the initial phase of implementation of the scheme of free distribution of CFLs, which Chief Minister Jayalalitha inaugurated through video conferencing. To mark the inauguration, she handed over such lamps to seven beneficiaries.
The Chief Minister also commissioned a roof-top solar photovoltaic plant of 60 kilo watt, installed at a cost of Rs. 55.8 lakh at the 10-storeyed headquarters of Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO).
Besides, 50 sub-stations, at a total cost of Rs. 509.88 crore, were declared open by the Chief Minister. They included two 230-kilo volt (KV) substations, twenty nine 110-KV substations and nineteen 33-KV substations
In a boost to the healthcare infrastructure, Chief Minister Jayalalitha inaugurated maternity wards at two government hospitals (GHs) that serve the rural and semi-urban areas of the district through video conference.
A 36-bedded maternity ward was inaugurated at the Perianaickenpalayam GH along with a laboratory with scanning equipment. The hospital expansion and purchase of new equipment was taken up at a cost of Rs. 1 crore.
A 12-bedded maternity ward constructed a cost of Rs. 40 lakh at the Thondamuthur GH was also inaugurated.
The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone for the construction of the new integrated multi facility Salem Corporation building, at an estimate of Rs. 7.68 crore. Mayor of Salem Corporation S. Soundappan thanked the Chief Minister for sanctioning funds for the building.
Chief Minister inaugurated Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation’s (TANGEDCO) 33 KV sub-station at Mahatma Gandhi Nagar in Madurai through video conferencing from her camp office at Kodanadu. It had been established at an outlay of Rs. 4.77 crore spent on purchasing land and equipment as well as construction.
Collector L. Subramanian, TANGEDCO Chief Engineer- Distribution (in-charge) M. Balasubramanian and Superintending Engineer S. Eswara Subramanian were present during the inauguration
Jayalalitha inaugurated the Tiruvannamalai Water Supply Improvement Scheme through video conferencing. The Rs. 36.66-crore scheme was sanctioned in 2010, by the then DMK government, and works begun and continued for years. As per the scheme Tiruvannamalai Municipality will get increased quantity of water from the Sathanur Pickup Dam constructed across River Thenpennaiyar on the down side of main Sathanur Reservoir.
Collector A. Gnanasekaran and Kalasappakkam MLA Agri S.S. Krishnamurthi participated in a function held at Tiruvannamalai Municipal Boys Higher Secondary School premises.
The next day (Dec 31) new buildings constructed at 17 Government Hospitals across the State at a cost of around Rs. 18.27 crore were inaugurated by her.The buildings were to house the cardio ward, ophthalmic ward, maternity ward, OP block, modernised kitchen, rest room, operation theatre, NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), CEmONC (Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and New Born Care) ward, paediatric ward and ICU. The 17 government hospitals are in Sathur, Usilampatti, Kallakurchi, Tindivanam, Sendhamangalm, Velur, Komarapalayam, Chidambaram, Kattumannarkoil, Thondamuthur, Perianaickenpalayam, Tiruvallur, Tiruthani, Kumbakonam, Sirkazhi, Ambur and Kodaikanal.
The Chief Minister also announced that the gift package containing ingredients for making sweet pongal would be distributed to people before the Pongal festival. The 1.84 crore ration card holders were eligible. This will cost the government Rs. 281 crore. The government released a photograph of the Chief Minister holding a consultative meeting for this at her Kodanad camp office with ministers O.Panneerselvam, Natham R.Viswanathan, K.P.Munusamy, R.Vaithilingam and R.Kamaraj, Chief Secretary Sheela Balakrishnan, Finance Secretary K.Shanmugam and other higher officials, who were all along with their subordinate officers and staff obviously flown there for this ‘Yes, Madam’ meeting.
All these events took place at the Kodanad camp office of Jayalalitha in The Nilgiris district.
A cursory glance of the reports suggest that most of these programmes could have been attended some ministers or officials at the local level and do not warrant a Chief Minister to inaugurate them or distribute benefits. But as a rule in ADMK regime all ‘glory’ should go to her and blames to the DMK or Centre.
But how much are the expenses involved in this extravagant exercise. As this photograph of the ‘function’ held at Madurai for showcasing the Chief Minister inaugurating through video conferencing, stages were put up and local ministers, district collectors and officials in attendance standing reverentially, besides a ‘herd of audience’ brought from various places were seen in all venues. Many other ministers and higher officials and all other paraphernalia were flown from Chennai to Kodanad mansion of her which had been converted into a mini secretariat during her stay there. And beneficiaries were also to be moved from several parts of the State to Kodanad and arrangements were made for their stay and food. About 6,000 police personnel drawn from many districts are also stationed in various parts of the hill station for security duties. They complained of suffering in chill weather of winter without provision of any special protective clothing.
How much expenses are incurred for all these arrangements for a day’s show and in daily shunting of higher officials with files between Chennai and Kodanad by air is anybody’s guess. Hopefully the Comptroller and Auditor General’s report may point it out.
Since her assuming office in May 2011, Jayalalitha had made it a custom to camp at her Kodanad mansion for about two months in December and January. And official releases invariably state that she would attend to official works from there. Heads of governments in Centre and States occasionally do camp at certain places for brief periods. But no Chief Minister in States or Prime Minster at Centre had ever been away from the headquarters regularly like this and for such long periods. Besides causing dislocation in the functioning of the Secretariat, such trips and camps of Jayalalitha must be too expensive for the government.
Much more, Jayalalitha claims that ‘she is for the people and by the people’ (k¡fS¡fhf k¡fshš eh‹). So the people of Tamil Nadu have interest and care for her and hence have right to know why she has to sojourn at the hill station every year for such long periods. As a public servant she has the duty to explain the reason for her long absence from the headquarters. People are not prepared to accept so many reasons speculated and want a categorical statement from the government on the condition of their Chief Minister!
When the cry for transparency in governance and administration has became louder in the nation, especially after the advent of Right to Information Act, A Chief Minister cannot remain so opaque and expensive too. Hindu devotees say “It’s Ayodhya where (lord) Ram is”. Under ADMK regime it seems, “It is Chennai/Secretariat where Amma is”!
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