Coal import not irregular, says ex-PWD Secretary

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, JUNE 18. In a complete volte-face, the former PWD Secretary, Mr. V. Sundaram, today told a special court that right from the calling of a tender till the import of coal during the previous AIADMK rule there was no irregularity.

No financial loss was caused in the transaction. ``Any claim of financial loss is fanciful and hypothetical and not based on facts. It is a figment of imagination'', he told the court of the Special Judge-II, Mr. S.S.P. Darwesh, during cross-examination by the defence counsel.

Mr. Sundaram charged he was threatened that he would be made an accused. He said his statements to the police were recorded under duress. He went a step further and said some of his statements in chief examination were made under compulsion and under duress.

As a prosecution witness, Mr. Sundaram had said during chief examination on November 17, 1999, that he had consistently objected to the import of coal from Indonesia which transaction was against the public interest. He also said he had also written to the TNEB chairman that the tender process was being vitiated. Efforts to buy substandard Indonesian coal were being made and that the import should not be permitted.

During cross-examination today, he said he had written a letter in December 1996 to the then Chief Secretary, Mr. K. A. Nambiar, stating he was being harassed by the police. But there was no reply. Mr. Nambiar functioned as the ``Chief Prosecutor'', he charged.

Mr. Sundaram said once the proposal was approved by the TNEB Chairman, the Minister (concerned) need not go into the objections raised by any board Member. Only if he disagreed, would he have to record the reasons. On July 12, 1993, an officer brought to his notice that certain pages in the current file and note file (containing his objections to the import) were missing. He did not remember the officer's name. An hour later, the missing pages were brought to him by Mr. Esakkimuthu (P.A. to the then PWD Minister, Mr. S. Kannappan). He did not tell him from where he got the papers. The witness said he also did not ask him about this.

Mr. Sundaram said all technical, procedural and financial objections/views expressed by him as PWD Secretary and in his capacity as ex-officio Director of the TNEB were ``fully answered by the then Chairman, TNEB, and the Chairman's final letter was dated July 8, 1993. ''I got fully satisfied on these views. ``Otherwise, I would not have signed the circulation note''.

The witness explained ``I had the courage of raising the doubts earlier. Thereafter, I got fully satisfied with the replies and so I signed the notes in complete approval''. After the Finance Secretary, and the Finance Minister had given the approval, the matter went to the Chief Minister. ``Her approval was absolutely routine in this matter. No motive can be attributed to the speedy disposal of the proposal''.

Mr. Sundaram said Ms. Jayalalitha's associate, Ms. Sasikala, never spoke to him on the import. He was forced to state in chief examination that he was threatened by somebody claiming to be Ms. Sasikala's men. ``Even then I knew that I was not correct. But I was forced to say like that''.

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Section  : Southern States
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