An RTI revealed the TN govt allocated Rs 6.17 crore to shift the CMO. This comes as Minister Arun Raj defended the govt against Opposition Leader Udhayanidhi Stalin's allegations of deteriorating law and order and lack of new schemes.
The Tamil Nadu government has allocated Rs 6.17 crore for shifting the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) from the Secretariat to the 10th floor of Namakkal Kavignar Maligai, according to information furnished under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
The details were provided by the Public (Buildings) Department in response to an RTI application filed on August 23. In response to a specific query on the "funds allocated for shifting the Chief Minister’s Office to the 10th floor of Namakkal Kavignar Maligai and carrying out related works", the Public Information Officer and Executive Engineer stated that Rs 6.17 crore had been allocated for the purpose. The allocation comes amid questions over expenditure on administrative rearrangements within the state Secretariat complex.
Minister refutes Opposition's claims
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Minister Arun Raj on Saturday said Chief Minister Vijay will respond to questions raised by the Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Udhayanidhi Stalin and other legislators in the Assembly tomorrow, while rejecting allegations that law and order had deteriorated under the present government.
Responding to remarks made by Udhayanidhi Stalin in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Arun Raj said, "Questions were asked not only by the Leader of the Opposition, but by all other leaders. Our Honourable CM will definitely answer all these questions."
"This government, legislature and democracy are for the people. The CM will answer in the same line as the Leader of the Opposition," he added. The Tamil Nadu Minister also criticised Udhayanidhi Stalin's remarks on law and order, saying the Opposition leader's speech gave an impression that the situation was satisfactory only during the previous Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government and had deteriorated in the last 100 days.
"The Leader of the Opposition’s speech on Thursday gave the impression that law and order was very well maintained during the DMK’s rule and had gone into shambles only during the last 100 days. But the situation is not like that, and everybody knows it," Raj said.
Stalin questions CM on law and order
Earlier on Thursday, Udhayanidhi Stalin had questioned Chief Minister Vijay over the law and order situation in the state and alleged that the TVK government had failed to introduce any new schemes during its first 116 days in office.
Speaking in the Assembly on Thursday, Stalin said, "I want answers from CM Vijay, who holds the Police portfolio, on the collapse of law and order. It has been 116 days since this Government came to power. It has not introduced a single scheme; instead, it is neither endorsing schemes brought by the DMK regime nor scrapping them." He also alleged a contradiction between the government's promises and announcements and claimed that the TVK government was focusing only on promoting reel content. (ANI)
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