Chennai Corporation spent Rs 50 cr on advertisements

Chennai Corporation spent Rs 50 cr on advertisements

[ Date : Mar 10th, 2011 ]


The Chennai Corporation has spent a Rs 50 crore in the last five years towards advertisement cost. This included tenders, and repeated tenders, as contractors failed to show up in the initial rounds due to rise in prices of construction items. The administration, however, said the increased spend on advertisements reflected its increased infrastructure development.

In its reply to the city-based RTI activist V Gopalakrishnan, the local body said Rs 17 crore was spent towards advertisement charges in 2008-2009. The expenditure was Rs 14.8 crore in 2007-2008. In the previous two fiscals, it spent Rs 13 crore. At the end of its last fiscal of its previous term, the AIADMK-led elected council managed spent only Rs 1.35 crore under this head.

The RTI reply said the department availed only budgetary allocations. The civic budget has a separate provision for advertisement charges and the council had cleared the expenses every year. “It only proves the fact that infrastructure development has really taken place,” a senior official said.

One of the probable reasons for the increased expenditure on advertisements is the poor response from contractors for several projects, forcing the corporation to repeat tender advertisements. Contractors had stayed away from work after price of construction materials increased in 2007. There were instances, when the civic body had to issue more than five tenders for a project, for want of contractors. If an automated parking system at Broadway terminus demanded four calls, modernization of Perambur abattoir required several more calls.

The local body is relying heavily on property tax collection this fiscal to meet expenses arising out of the sixth pay commission recommendations. The budgetary provisions for this year show that a Rs 510 crore is required for implementing pay commission recommendations to hundreds of civic staff, even as the revenue department is likely to raise only Rs 410 crore under the property tax head. The agency is now eyeing external funding agencies for loans for various works.

Sources said Rs 1,378.4 crore worth development works had taken place during the last five years. “It is sad that a large part of the money is used for advertisements, when allotment for basic services for urban poor got cancelled” said A Subramani, a CPI councillor. This is because; many beneficiaries could not shell out their share of cost to construct a tiny house.

RTI activists see red in info commissioners' appointment

RTI activists see red in info commissioners' appointment
Wednesday, 03.02.2011, (GMT+5.5)


Chennai: RTI activists are angry with the state government for having appointed three commissioners to the Tamil Nadu Information Commission just before the model code of conduct came into force, with zero transparency.


The government announced the appointments on Tuesday, hours before the election commission announced the poll date. Already, the appointment of former chief secretary KS Sripathi as the chief information commissioner is in a legal tangle after RTI activists alleging that there was no transperancy in the appointment process.


The appointment of Dr PA Ramiah, C Manoharan and Arumuga Nainar as the new information commissioners in the existing vacancy on Monday came as a surprise to many RTI groups and activists who have been urging the government to maintain transparency.


"Section 15 of RTI Act says any person of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology, social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance is eligible to apply for the post. We have been asking the government to issue newspaper advertisements calling for applications, shortlist the names and then go for selection. We want the government to clarify how the three commissioners came to know of filling up of the vacancies and applied for it,'' said V Gopalakrishnan, an RTI activist who was arrested for staging a demonstration in front of Raj Bhavan demanding transperancy in the appointment of chief information commissioner KS Sripathi in September last.


"Information commission is the place from where transparency should begin, but it is unfortunate that the appointments to such a commission is being made in a secret manner. This reduces the appointments to political in the eyes of the public. We, along with several other RTI groups, will convene a meeting this week to oppose this,'' said G Balaji of Public Awareness Campaign Energy Trust, Thirumangalam.


While the selection committee includes the chief minister, Opposition leader and a minister deputed by the chief minister, the decision of appointing the three commissioners was taken by chief minister M Karunanidhi and finance minister K Anbazhagan, in the absence of Opposition leader J Jayalalithaa.


"We don't question the government prerogative in selecting the commissioners, but want to point out that a proper interpretation of Section 15 of RTI Act can only be taken as there must be unanimity in the selection committee in the appointments and there is no question of majority opinion in it. When there are only three persons in a committee and two of them belong to the ruling party, it can only be the decision of the ruling party,'' said Anti-Corruption Movement state general secretary SM Arasu.