Aadhav says CMO shifting ad-hoc plan, hints at more options; announces white paper on DMK regime tenders

CHENNAI: Public Works Department Minister Aadhav Arjuna has raked up talks about the State's yet another proposal to build a new Secretariat, after the former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi-built facility was converted into a multi-speciality hospital, by saying that the shifting of CMO to Namakkal Kavignar Maligai was only a stop-gap arrangement.

He was responding to DMK leader EV Velu who raised a query about shifting the Chief Minister's Office to Namakkal Kavignar Maligai (NKM), Minister Aadhav said it was a temporary arrangement.

He also asked the DMK MLA whether he had any differing opinion on the plans of former Chief Ministers Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa to construct a new Secretariat complex, referring to the DMK patriarch's choice of Omandurar Estate and the AIADMK supremo's satellite city plan.

During the discussion on demands for grants for the Public Works Department and Highways in the Assembly on Tuesday, DMK member Velu asked why a new room was needed for the Chief Minister. "He can do the work from the existing facility. Owing to the shifting of the Chief Minister's Office, Secretariat staff are facing difficulties with their dining and rest facilities," he said.

Replying to him, Minister Aadhav said that the tender process for renovating the Chief Minister's Office at Namakkal Kavignar Maligai had not been completed.

"The former Chief Ministers Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa had aspired to construct a new Secretariat complex. The existing space for the Chief Minister's Office is not enough, and his secretaries are working in rooms measuring 100 square feet," Minister Aadhav said.

The decision to shift the Chief Minister's Office was not taken for his personal convenience, he said. Recalling the Chief Minister's simplicity during the election campaign, Minister Aadhav said he used to sleep and eat even in vehicles.

"The new Chief Minister's Office is a temporary arrangement with a large space where around 80 persons can sit and work at the same time," Minister Aadhav said

PWD earned tainted tag under DMK, will expose it with White Paper: Minister Aadhav Arjuna

Public Works and Highways Minister Aadhav Arjuna said his department would release a white paper detailing tenders issued during the DMK regime. He alleged that, according to newspaper reports, the department had been portrayed as a "corruption department" during the previous regime.

During the discussion on the demands for grants for the Public Works and Highways Department in the Assembly, DMK member EV Velu said the Schedule of Rates (SoR) was prepared in the Public Works Department based on the recommendations of a committee headed by the Finance Secretary and subsequently released by the department. He said no single minister could decide the SoR, which forms the basis for quoting tenders for every project.

Replying to him, Minister Aadhav Arjuna said the TVK-led government had called for retenders for 20 projects, resulting in savings of 20 per cent to 36 per cent compared with the previous government's rates.

"The government has followed last year's SoR. Owing to this, the excess amount is deposited in the government exchequer," the Minister said. He said the department had decided to release a white paper on tender data during the DMK regime.