People want Sagayam panel to function: Union Minister

Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan today said the Sagayam Committee, formed by the Madras High Court to probe illegal granite mining in Tamil Nadu, should be allowed to function.
"It is the desire of people that the committee, headed by senior IAS officer U Sagayam, should be allowed to function because whoever is the wrongdoer should be punished," he told reporters here.
The Minister, who was here to participate in a private function, said the court had appointed the IAS officer to probe into alleged illegal quarrying and he should be allowed to carry out the court orders.
On September 11, the court had ordered appointment of Sagayam as Special Officer/Legal Commissioner to probe all granite mining contracts and licences given to private firms in Tamil Nadu and how these licences were used or misused by allottees.

A review petition filed by the state government was rejected by the court on October 28.
Radhakrishnan urged the state government provide necessary relief to people affected by the torrential rains in the past ten days.
He also said all steps would be taken for infrastructural facilities, including upkeep of national highways and special trains, for the Mahamaham Festival to be held in this temple town in 2016 in consultation with his ministerial colleagues.
Mahamaham, considered the Kumbh Mela of the South, is held once in 12 years and devotees throng the sacred Mahamaham Tank here to take a holy dip on that day.