Bedi justifies seeking funds from corporates for desilting

Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi Tuesday defended seeking funds from private organisations to desilt water bodies, saying the union territory government was facing dearth of funds for development projects.

Dismissing as falsehood charges that she was misusing her powers, Bedi said her office Raj Nivas was acting as a facilitator to implement the desilting project.

"There are no funds with the government to clean the 86-km-long water channels...with the monsoon rains uncertain and lakes and tanks drying up, we looked for solutions and hence thought it fit to seek the assistance of the private organisations through the social media," she said in a whatsapp message to the media.

The corporates responded overwhelmingly to the appeal as they all wanted to see a water-rich Puducherry, Bedi said.

Chief Minister V Narayanasamy has demanded a probe into the raising of funds alleging that there were irregualrities.

The AIADMK too has objected to the move so as the CPI (M) which has planned to picket Raj Nivas on October 26 while seeking Bedi's recall.