Puducherry: Puducherry cabinet had not
recommended the issue of no-objection (NOC) or essentiality
certificate to a trust, reportedly linked to Lt Governor Iqbal
Singh, for starting a medical college, Revenue and Tourism
Minister Malladi Krishna Rao said on Thursday.
"NOC for the medical college project was not issued by
the cabinet nor was the essentiality certificate sanctioned,"
he told reporters here emerging from a 40-minute-long meeting
with Singh at the Raj Niwas here.
Rao, who described his meeting with the Governor as a
courtesy call, also said the Puducherry government had not
allotted land for the trust for its medical college project.
Singh, who is under the Enforcement Directorate
scanner for alleged links to suspected money launderer Hasan
Ali Khan, landed in a fresh controversy over the Puducherry
administration's in-principle clearance for a medical college
to be set up by the South Educational Trust.
Singh's two sons were former members of the Trust.
The controversy broke out over reports that some
members of the South Educational Trust, which plans to set up
a medical college at Karaikal, were from Singh's family and
due procedures had not been followed.
However, Trust chairman Tejinder Pal Singh yesterday
dismissed the reports as "maligning", "baseless and
mischievous" and said Iqbal Singh had no link with the medical
college project.
Of the six trust members, three of them including two
sons of the Lt Governor had resigned, he had said.
Puducherry Chief Secretary R Chandramohan had said the
Trust was issued only an in-principle NOC in March-April 2010
without any commitment.
Replying to a question, Rao said routine
administrative works in the union territory had not been
affected due to the controversy surrounding the Lt Governor.
Singh has given his nod to the government's decision
to provide a cash assistance of Rs 2,750 each to the 26,000
fishermen families in view of the annual 45-day ban on
fishing, he said, adding that the assistance would be
disbursed by this month end.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, April 21, 2011, 19:19