The Hindu : Kerala News : Secretaries’ panel moots cancellation of HMT deal

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Secretaries’ panel moots cancellation of HMT deal

Special Correspondent

Cabinet to discuss report at next meeting on February 15

Report submitted to Chief Minister on Friday morning
Industries Secretary defends the deal at panel sitting

Chief Secretary P.J. Thomas headed the committee.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Secretaries’ committee which was constituted to look into the legality of the sale of land owned by HMT Ltd. at Kochi to a private group for setting up a ‘Cyber City’ has submitted its report to the Chief Minister. The committee is understood to have recommended cancellation of the land transaction.

Chief Secretary P.J. Thomas submitted the report to Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan at his chamber on Friday morning. Later, replying to questions from reporters, the Chief Minister confirmed receipt of the report and said that it would be placed before the Cabinet at its next meeting for discussion and decision on the issue. Law Minister M. Vijayakumar too told reporters separately that the matter would be discussed by the next meeting of the Cabinet.

Six rounds of meeting

The committee, which held six rounds of meetings, the last one running late into Thursday night, could not arrive at a consensus on the action to be taken in the matter what with the Industries Secretary taking the stand that there was nothing illegal in the transaction as HMT was in full possession of the land. However, Secretaries of Revenue, Law and Information Technology are understood to have taken the stand that the land transaction was not permissible as the land in question belonged to the government.

Public sector HMT had sold 70 acres of land to the Mumbai-based firm HDIL in mid-2007 for Rs.91 crore and the foundation stone for the Cyber City project was laid last month.

Matter before court

The Secretaries’ panel was constituted when the land transaction became the subject of a raging controversy in the State and the Chief Minister and the IT Department took the position that they were kept in the dark about the deal. The matter is now before the Kerala High Court, which is slated to consider a writ petition seeking a judicial inquiry into the land transaction. The State Cabinet itself would meet only on February 15 after conclusion of the State conference of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) being held in Kottayam from February 11 to 14.

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