ALAPPUZHA: The Union Government has approved a Rs.14.97-crore project for the revival of 200 defunct primary coir cooperative societies under Coirfed, M.K. Abdul Gafoor, Coirfed chairman, has said.

The scheme has been approved by the Union Government by including it in the SGRSY Scheme Mr. Gafoor said here on Tuesday. As per the scheme, 10 defunct societies in the defibring sector, 150 defunct societies in the coir yarn spinning sector, 10 non-operational societies in the mats and mattings sector and 30 defunct societies in the coir geo-textiles sector would be revived said Mr. Gafoor.

He said former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Minister for Coir G. Sudhakaran were among those who helped the Coirfed to get the project approved.

He said the AITUC demand to disband the present ruling committee of the Coirfed was politically motivated. The present committee came to power in 2003 through elections.

The complaint filed by CPI(M) leader Anathalavattom Anandan, MLA, in the State Cooperative Tribunal against the elections had been dismissed, Mr. Gafoor said.

He said if anybody had complaints of corruption or other malpractices against the committee it should be investigated and the committee was willing to cooperate with any kind of investigation ordered by the Government.

At the same time, there had been malpractices in the Coirfed during the 1999-2002 period when former MLA T.K. Devakumar was its chairman and Arunkumar, son of Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan was its managing director, Mr. Gafoor alleged. A vigilance inquiry into the allegations was going on in the issue, he said.

He said the ruling committee headed by Mr. Devakumar had taken a loan of Rs.10 crores from the State Cooperative Bank. Mr. Gafoor said the loan was taken without the approval of the general body of the Coirfed or the Government and that loan had become a liability to the Coirfed.

The Coirfed has to pay Rs.3.75 crores to the bank as interest and other charges annually and that was affecting the functioning of the Coirfed, Mr. Gafoor alleged.

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