Kerala - Kochi   

Merchiston land deal: State not for CBI investigation high court round-up

Kochi: The State government has offered three sites to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for setting up the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, according to a report filed by the State government before the Kerala High Court.

The report said that one site measuring 129.78 acres was located at Phenur village in Ponmudi, 5.8 km away from the terminal end of the present site bought by the ISRO from the owner of the Merchiston estate.

In fact, the site was taken over from a tea estate owner in 1970. The other site was located at Ivercode estate and covers an area of 74.83 acres. The third site in upper sanatorium has 30.46 acres of land.

The government informed the ISRO that it was prepared to provide an alternative site for setting up the institute as the present land in the Merchiston estate was notified under the Kerala Forests (Vesting and Management of Ecologically Fragile Lands) Act and Rules.

The government said the three sites were neither forest land nor would come under the Ecologically Fragile Land category.

The government in another affidavit said the vigilance inquiry into the Merchiston estate deal was on and, therefore, there was no need for a CBI probe.

The affidavit was filed in response to a writ petition seeking a CBI probe into the deal.

The State government on Wednesday filed a petition seeking to implead itself in a writ petition challenging the Central government’s decision to ban import of palm oil through the Kochi port.

In a petition, the State Agricultural Department said the ban was imposed to protect more than 30 lakh coconut farmers.

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