P. Thangamani, Electricity Minister and organising secretary of the AIADMK, on Tuesday asked DMK’s principal secretary T.R. Baalu how the per-km cost for some of the national highway projects was worked out when the latter was Union Minister for Highways.
Mr. Thangamani said that even in 2006, the per-km cost for the Salem-Kumarapalayam four-lane NH project was ₹8.78 crore, and for Kumarapalayam-Chengapalli, ₹7.83 crore. He sought to know how the cost was incurred in the light of the statement of DMK MP R.S. Bharathi, who had given a petition to the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption against the Chief Minister claiming that the Oddanchatram-Dharapuram-Avinashi road project would cost only ₹2.2 crore per kilometre.
Mr. Thangamani said, “The bids are being processed with no scope for corruption.”