Youtuber ‘Savukku’ Shankar has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) at the Madras High Court seeking an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into alleged irregularities in government schemes aimed to eradicate manual scavenging in Tamil Nadu.
Shankar alleged that Congress leader K Selvaperunthugai and others had misappropriated funds that were allocated for the schemes aimed at providing sanitation equipment to manual scavengers.
A bench of Justices GR Swaminathan and V Lakshminarayanan on Wednesday, May 14, suo-motu impleaded the departments of Municipal Administration and Water Supply and Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), as well as the Chennai Metropolitan Water supply and Sewage Board (CMWSB) in the case. They are asked to submit the original documents pertaining to the allegations made by Shankar.
Shankar, in his petition, accused senior Congress leader and Tamil Nadu MLA K Selvaperunthagai of orchestrating large-scale misappropriation of funds disbursed under the Union government’s scheme, National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE), and the state government’s Annal Ambedkar Business Champions Scheme (AABCS).
He also alleged that there was a complex network of private entities – Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI) and Gen Green Logistics Private Limited – used as fronts to siphon off the funds.
According to Shankar’s petition, these funds which were intended to support sanitation workers, especially from Dalit communities, were instead diverted to political allies and benamis of Selvaperunthagai.
Shankar alleged that close to 133 ineligible individuals, including politically connected lawyers and associates, were selected as beneficiaries under the guise of aiding sanitation workers. The beneficiaries of the scheme were allotted 6000-litre capacity vehicles costing Rs 65 lakhs and 2000-litre capacity vehicles costing Rs 32 lakhs. He added that these vehicles were leased out to Gen Green logistics, which is reportedly operated by DICCI director Ravikumar Narra and Selvaperunthagai’s nephew R Veeramani.
He further alleged that there were concerns of money laundering, as Kanchipuram Central Cooperative Bank had given loans to 54 individuals totalling over Rs 35 crore, without any form of collateral, income verification or due diligence.
Shankar alleged that the true beneficiaries of the schemes were sidelined, and public funds were laundered under fraudulent leasing agreements, with Gen Green collecting payments directly from CMWSSB and passing only a fraction to the supposed beneficiaries.
Shankar said that he exposed the scam through his YouTube channel, following which his house was vandalised. He alleged that associates of the MLA threw sewage inside his house, threatening his elderly mother and attempting to silence him.
Stating that Selvaperunthagai is an influential political leader, who is close to the ruling party and the state government, Shankar contended that a free and fair investigation by state agencies is not possible and sought for a CBI probe.