Arappor Iyakkam urges systemic reforms to sustain TN anti-corruption drive

The Story in Brief

Anti-corruption activist Jayaram Venkatesan of Arappor Iyakkam has said bribery has come down in Tamil Nadu in the first two months of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's government. He told The Federal that the government has cancelled several inflated tenders, including a Rs 274-crore Chennai Corporation pathway tender and nearly Rs 2,000 crore in electricity board tenders. Twenty-two water resources tenders in Pollachi were also scrapped.

But Venkatesan stressed that systemic reforms are needed to sustain the drive. He called for amending the Tender Transparency Act to mandate open bidding for all tenders above Rs 1 lakh, and automatic cancellation of tenders that attract only one bidder. He also flagged gaps in e-governance and noted that only 10 of 40 complaints have led to FIRs. Institutional changes, not just initial steps, are essential, he said.