After Justice N. Kirubakaran of the Madras High Court recently spoke about widespread corruption in the country and referred to the results of a survey which found India to be the most corrupt country in Asia, Justice S. Vaidyanathan has now said that there is every possibility of Tamil Nadu being termed as the most corrupt State in the country.
Dismissing a writ petition filed by a government civil contractor who had been blacklisted for the poor quality of a road laid by him, Mr. Justice Vaidyanathan said: “It is to be noted that most of the roads are laid with inferior quality (materials)/patch work... Public money is being misused and contractors, who may be close to officials or others, part with their money for getting a tender.
“Having parted with their money and in order to earn more money, they use inferior quality materials and lay the roads which get damaged and cause several accidents. The contractors... are not bothered about the accident that occurs due to the bad condition of the roads on account of using inferior materials. It is a very sorry state of affairs.”
The judge also blamed the citizens for turning a Nelson’s eye to such issues and remaining quiet unless and until their family members get affected. “This court is of the view that for proper laying and maintenance of the roads, no one should collect any money under the guise of commission, which is nothing but bribe,” he added.
To avoid damage to newly laid roads, the judge said that agencies such as Greater Chennai Corporation, electricity department and telephone personnel should be asked to complete their civil works underground before the laying of new roads.
