The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, Selvaperundagai, has said that it is proposed to set up mobile ration shops in the hill villages in the Coimbatore forest area to avoid any inconvenience to the tribal people.
Coimbatore: The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Public Accounts Committee, headed by Chairman Selvaperundagai, conducted an inspection in Coimbatore today.
Members of the committee were legislators PRG Arunkumar, S Kandirajan, Saraswathi, Ma Chinthanaichelvan, S Sudarsanam, Prakash, Boondi K Kalaivanan, M Raja Muthu, Velmurugan, among others.
In Coimbatore, the team inspected the Thondamuthur Sengupathi Hill Tracts Village, Somaiyampalayam Anna University Campus, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, the Women's Hostel being constructed in the RS Puram area and the Government Medical College Hospital.
A review meeting with officials was then held at the auditorium at the Coimbatore Collectorate.
MPs PR Natarajan, Shanmugasundaram, Coimbatore District Collector Sameeran, Corporation Commissioner Rajagopal Sunkara, Coimbatore District Assembly Members Amman Arjunan, Amul Kandasamy, AK Selvaraj, Kandasamy, Jayaraman, Police, Forest and Fire Departments were among those present.
Selvaperundagai told reporters after the inspection meeting that he had inspected places like Selvaperundagai, Coimbatore Hill Village, Agricultural University, Anna University and the Government Hospital and had heard complaints from the public and government employees.
He said it has been advised to provide the tribal people living in the villages adjoining the Coimbatore forest with ration items through mobile ration shops as an immediate measure to prevent them from being attacked by wild animals. Also, bus service to the villages where there is no immediate bus route for the convenience of school going children and the general public, will be provided. He said he had heard about various problems at the Coimbatore Government Hospital and had been given recommendations to address them one by one. He also promised immediate action to repair over 6-year old hospital beds that were of no use.
At the Anna University campus, research equipment worth Rs.12-crore, purchased from abroad, has been useless for more than six years and has been put into temporary use. Buildings will be constructed soon, he informed. He also recommended buying equipment and filling vacancies at the Coimbatore Agricultural University, and suggested that the walls, called rope walls, be set up because solar power fences are 3 times more expensive and people's lives are important, as they do not help prevent wildlife from entering human habitat.
He said that despite the various problems at the Coimbatore Government Hospital, it was recommended that the doctors work at the risk of their lives during the Coronavirus period. He stated that the issues must be resolved soon so as not to hurt them further.
It was also discussed that only 71 per cent of the target of 71-crore rupees has been achieved in the Coimbatore Corporation from 2016-19 and the 3-lakh rupees provided to build houses for the tribal people was not enough. He said, at the time that all members of the committee would demand in the assembly that the sum is increased to Rs.5-lakhs.