Jaya showed favouritism to firm: Stalin

Chennai, Jun 16 (UNI) Responding to former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on the desalination project issue, Tamil Nadu Local Administration Minister M K Stalin today accused her of having shown ''favouritism'' to IVRCL, which offered to set up the plant.

In a rejoinder to Ms Jayalalithaa, the Minister, in a statement here said that he had raised serious doubts about the undue favoritism shown by the previous AIADMK Government to IVRCL in his previous statement, but Ms Jayalalithaa continued to remain silent on his charges.

He said if two of the three firms, which submitted tenders had failed to pay the Earnest Money Deposit (EMD), the government should have cancelled the tender and called for fresh tenders.

Instead, the Jayalalithaa Government chose to award the tender to IVRCL, which prompted one of the rejected firms to move Madras High Court. Ms Jayalalithaa had been solely responsible for the matter to have been taken to the court, Mr Stalin charged.

Detailing the five conditions of the agreement signed between Metro Water and IVRCL, Mr Stalin said all the conditions were favourable to the private firm and wanted to know the ''mystery'' behind the deal.

He said for obvious reasons, the previous AIADMK Government had not shown interest in availing the funds offered by the Centre for setting up a desalination plant.

Till the last day from January 12, 2006, Ms Jayalalithaa had avoided signing the file regarding Central assistance to the tune of Rs 1481 crores for the plant, Mr Stalin alleged.

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