Corruption holds up Port’s tsunami repairs
Sunday May 4 2008 08:40 IST G Saravanan (Repro of copy published in the New Indian Express on May 4: CHENNAI: LONG after 2004’s Tsunami, the Chennai Port Trust (CPT) has been unable to get its ‘mooring dolphin’ fixed. The reason: corruption. The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) told the Port Trust to cancel the original repair contract after it found the contractor to be “ineligible”. The contract to construct the mooring dolphin at Bharathi dock-III, an RCC connection trestle near Bharathi dock-I and to strengthen the eastern and western block walls at the Ambedkar block, was given to Chokkaiyan Karthikeyan and Co in September 2005. The CVC began inquiring in July 2006. In February 2007, it told the CPT “foreclose and cancel” the contract. More than a year later, only one official has been held responsible: chief engineer Chelladurai. He was moved to the National Maritime Board in January 2008, nearly a year after the CVC’s letter. Officials close to him claim he was made scapegoat...