Don’t shift training centre from Yercaud: EPS to TN govt

Former chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has condemned the alleged decision of the state government to shift the location of the proposed training centre for cooperative department officials from Yercaud in Salem district to Kodaikanal in Dindigul.
The training centre at a cost of Rs 61.8 crore under the Tamil Nadu Cooeprative Union was announced by EPS in 2020. “The DMK government should drop the idea to shift the location to Kodaikanal,” he said in a statement. He alleged that the DMK government was moving the centre to Kodaikanal out of political vendetta.
According to EPS, the then AIADMK government considered several places across the state and finalised five acre poramboke land at Semmaduvu village in Manjakuttai panchayat in Yercaud. A detailed project report for a modern training centre building at a cost of Rs 39 crore was prepared in the first phase. Construction work had also begun, he said. “But, the registrar of cooperative department has written to PWD officials asking to stop the construction work on July 28. Subsequently, senior PWD officials have directed their subordinates to stop the work,” he said.
EPS alleged that DMK government has been stalling several projects launched by AIADMK and has now taking steps to shift the cooperative training centre to Kodaikanal. “The government should restart construction in Yercaud,” he said warning that tribals in Yercaud, public in Salem and AIADMK cadres would stage protest if the government fails to abandon the plan to shift the centre to Kodaikanal.