Coimbatore, Nov 10:
Officials from the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) carried out an inspection at the newly opened Periyar Arivulagam library in Gandhipuram, Coimbatore, on Tuesday to verify book procurement documents.
The inspection follows public allegations made by writer and Sahitya Akademi awardee Perumal Murugan, a member of the book recommendation panel, who alleged that crores of rupees were siphoned off through substandard and dummy titles supplied by favored distributors during the previous DMK regime. Built across seven acres at a cost of Rs 300 crore, the seven-storey facility was inaugurated last month by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay. Investigators questioned library administrative personnel and scrutinized accession registers, invoice records, and book delivery lots to verify discrepancies between panel-recommended lists and physical stocks.