Chennai: A sub-collector’s decision to act tough on engineers of the Rural development department backfired after the engineers’ union sought the Chief Minister’s intervention in the matter.
On September 17, a government holiday, the sub-collector of Ariyalur district, Chandrasekar Sigamoovi, is said to have demanded that around 50 engineers of the rural development department come with him to inspect the execution of the Central Government’s Individual House Hold Latrine (IHHL) project. In his letter, S. Murugesan, assistant engineer and treasurer of the union, has said the sub collector took the officials on a field inspection of Ariyalur and Thirumanur blocks. Controversially, the sub collector did not afford the team a break.
“The sub collector told the officials that it won’t matter if they did not have lunch for a day and forced them to work,” alleged Murugesan. The sub collector also made the officials give a written undertaking whereby they stated that they would accept departmental action if they fail to meet the deadline stipulated by a G.O for executing IHHL.
In an undertaking, a copy of which is with DC, the official concerned has signed stating that he is aware that only 32 out of the mandated 197 toilets has been completed on September 18 and if the total number is not completed before September 27, action may be initiated. A senior government official told Deccan Chronicle the director of the rural development agency has been asked to conduct an enquiry into the issue and take necessary action.
