Previous government suppressed sexual offences on children, Nirmalkumar hits back at L&O criticisms

CHENNAI: Minister for Energy Resources R Nirmalkumar on Monday hit back at former chief minister MK Stalin over his criticism of law and order, alleging that the previous DMK government had failed to act transparently in cases involving crimes against children.

Speaking to reporters after flagging off vehicles to attend fuse-off call (FOC) complaints in Chennai, Nirmalkumar said police were conducting an extensive search for a missing girl in the city. The Director General of Police was reviewing the investigation daily, with multiple teams searching from different angles, he said.

The minister contrasted the ongoing investigation with cases from the previous regime, citing the unresolved murder of former DMK minister's brother Ramajayam. He also alleged that the previous government had attempted to suppress cases involving sexual offences against children.

Nirmalkumar accused the previous administration of collecting money from schools in the name of child safety certification and alleged irregularities worth hundreds of crores of rupees. He said the present government would ensure accountability wherever wrongdoing was established and that no one would escape punishment.

Questioning the progress of the Kodanad case, he said the government would have to assess the stage of the investigation before deciding on further action.

Separately, the minister said Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (TNPDCL) had established 82 additional FOC centres in Chennai and neighbouring districts, taking the total to 152, to ensure the swift restoration of power supply during the northeast monsoon.

The corporation has kept 152 vehicles ready on a contract basis to attend to power outage complaints and repair faults. It has also authorised the deployment of 608 workers, with four personnel assigned to each centre, to strengthen operations.

To speed up the detection and repair of underground cable faults in Chennai and its suburbs, 12 additional high-voltage underground cable fault detection vehicles have been deployed on a contract basis, along with 36 personnel, including engineers.