DMK president M.K. Stalin on Tuesday demanded an inquiry by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) into the alleged irregularities in the tenders called for the ₹2,441 crore Bharatnet project to provide internet connectivity to panchayats, town panchayats and municipalities.
The project would be implemented through the Tamil Nadu Fibrenet Corporation Ltd (TANFINET). In a statement, he claimed that IAS officer Santhosh Babu, who functioned as the IT secretary was transferred, because he refused to cooperate with the government “in the scam”.
Mr. Stalin said when the issue was highlighted in a magazine, former Minister Thangam Thennarsu demanded transparency in tender procedures. “The pressure from the Chief Minister and the Minister of the department forced Mr. Santhosh Babu to opt for voluntary retirement service and I issued a statement for the need for protecting honest officials. What is the secret in the project that forced a senior official to seek VRS,” he asked.
Alleging that Mr. Santhosh Babu has been transferred and D. Ravichandran, an RDO, from Namakkal, the home district of Minister P. Thangamani, has been appointed as the Managing Director of the TANFINET, Mr. Stalin wondered if the government was not able to find a senior official to implement the Bharatnet project.
Mr Stalin said since there were doubts whether the project would be implemented in a proper manner, the DVAC should seize all the documents in connection with the project and probe the irregularities.
