Previous government developed only a few parts of Coimbatore city: Senthilbalaji

The previous AIADMK government developed only one or two pockets in the city and ignored most others, Electricity Minister V. Senthilbalaji said here on Sunday.

The then government had claimed that in five years Coimbatore had witnessed the kind of development that it had not seen in the previous 50 years. But the condition of city roads was proof enough of the development, he said.

His charge against the previous government was based on the complaints he had received as petitions from the public during his Makkal Sabai interaction. In 150 sittings, he had collected 1.41 lakh petitions, Mr. Senthilbalaji said.

The AIADMK government had splurged in unnecessary initiatives in the city, which the present government tried to rectify. Be it the purchase of bins for ₹44 crore or engagement of contractors for transporting waste using lorries to Vellalore, the Corporation had not prudently spent money.

And, people knew who was behind the splurge and who benefited from it. Such development had only put behind the city in development vis-a-vis other cities.

AIADMK leader O. Panneerselvam had levelled allegation that the present DMK government had started levying GST on power charges. However, the Tangedco started levying GST not on power connection, but the fee collected on new application and a few other services. This had been in vogue since 2018, the Minister pointed out.

It was also wrong on his part to say that the government charged farmers the meter cost for the free power connection availed. This too was a practice that had been in place since the previous government’s days.

The Minister took part in ground breaking ceremonies at various places in the city on Sunday for the projects that the Corporation had taken up for ₹3.17 crore.

The Minister later visited a private hospital in the city to check on Pollachi resident Mohan Kumar, who after an accident, was operated upon under the Innuyir Kappom scheme. Mr. Kumar’s family had thanked the government as under the scheme doctors operated him four times for 13 hours to save his life, the Minister added.

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