The Tamil Nadu Government has constituted a one-man commission of inquiry to look into allegations of irregularities and deficiency in the quality of construction of the New Secretariat Complex.

According to a copy of the Government Order, GO Ms. No. 530 dated June 11, 2011, the Commission consists of a retired judge of the Madras High Court, Mr S. Thangaraj.

Irregularities

The Commission of Inquiry will look into the causes and circumstances leading to the alleged irregularities such as excess expenditure causing loss to the exchequer, whether all statutory approvals and clearances were obtained, inordinate delay and deficiency in standards of construction of the new secretariat in the Omandurar Government Estate.

The Commission will see if there was any lapse or abuse of position by Government officials and public servants, suggest measures to prevent such recurrences and make appropriate recommendations, the order said.

The new Secretariat Complex was conceived by the previous DMK-led Government. Construction on the 25-acre site, known as the ‘Omandurar' Government Estate, on the arterial Anna Salai, in the heart of Chennai started in October 2008. The first phase of the construction included the Legislative Assembly building and the offices for the Minister and senior bureaucrats totalling over 9 lakh square feet. This contract was awarded to the Chennai-based construction company, ECCI.

The building estimated to cost over Rs 500 crore, according to official figures then, was inaugurated on March 13, 2010, by the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh.

Second phase

Work is on in the second phase, which has been awarded to the Pune-based Vascon Engineers Ltd. This 8-lakh square feet project of about Rs 280 crore is for offices of Government departments distributed across seven buildings of seven floors each, officials had said last year.

Further plans in the complex included the construction of a 2,000-seat convention centre and a guest house.

In May, when the AIADMK-led Government took over, the new Government decided against shifting to the new complex. It explained that the project was still under construction and did not have adequate space or facilities to house all the Government departments. Moving just a part of the administration would adversely impact efficiency and smooth functioning of the Government.

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