The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Probe sought into land deals

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 22, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

Probe sought into land deals

Staff Reporter

KOCHI: Congress chief whip V.D. Satheesan has demanded an audit on the land possessed by State and Central public sector units in Kochi.

He accused the State government of attempting to sell the land holdings of public sector units to private parties at throwaway prices. The sale of 70 acres of land with HMT at Kalamassery to a private builder, the attempt of a tyre manufacturing company in Kalamassery to use its allotted land for setting up a hospital instead of a factory and yet another move to sell out some land with FACT to a private business group were some examples of giving away priceless holdings for a song, Mr. Satheesan said.

The State government has stooped to the level of a real estate broker in the district, he alleged. If the trend continues, the public sector companies will lose their holdings to private companies, he said.

Mr. Satheesan said the act of the Industries and Revenue Ministers to lift the ban on transfer of property of land belonging to HMT for selling it to a private group at a meeting was in violation of the procedural formalities and also against the spirit of the land reforms Act that was enacted in the State. He also questioned the claim of the Industries Minister that the company would set up an IT venture in the area and that it would provide 66,000 jobs. The deal for transferring the land to the private firm also lacked transparency, he said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala