Harrison Issue: Kerala to take up strongly with Centre Govt

The State government, which has already initiated proceedings against Harrisons Malayalam Ltd (HML), has decided to seriously take up with the Ministry of Corporate affairs, Ministry of Company Affairs, Enforcement Directorate and other Central Financial Institutions all the issues, including the alleged siphoning of money from the country, violation of FERA and amalgamation of HML with its other companies.

Revenue Secretary Sathyajeeth Rajan will meet the officials of Ministry of Corporate affairs, Ministry of Company Affairs, Enforcement Directorate and other Central Financial Institutions and present the State's case before them.

It is learned that the State government had decided to strongly present its views after the Centre had not taken any serious decision with regard to the issues raised. The Centre had not responded to the State's demand for a comprehensive inquiry into the alleged diversion of funds by the company from the country to Ghana, which amounted to violation of FERA.

The revenue secretary is also known to take up with the ministry of Corporate Affairs the stand it had taken with respect to the amalgamation of HML and its other companies. The Ministry had submitted before the High Court that it will not object to the composite scheme of amalgamation, which had raised a controversy with the state government stating that its views were not sought before the Ministry gave the report.

Moreover, the state government is yet to get a response about reports of availing tea subsidies by the company from the Tea Board by producing alleged fake sketches and documents. The government had already written to the various Ministries about the company availing tea subsidies after the vigilance department is learned to have raised doubts about it.

Source: The Newindian Express

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/221145/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/30-01-2014#page/5/1

Hidden Agenda Behind HML meet

A time when the government has served a showcause notice on Harrisons Malayalam Ltd for retrieving about 20,000 acres of land in their illegal possession and Vigilance filing criminal cases against company officials for forging documents, the revenue secretary has convened a joint meeting of the company representatives and the vigilance team, which is alleged to backtrack the government's entire initiative. 

The meeting has been convened, flouting the rules as the government was hearing the views of the persons against whom a criminal case was in vogue, highly placed sources said. The company representatives have been called for a meeting in the presence of the Vigilance that had registered an FIR against them, which only aggravated the situation, they said and raised doubts if it was not an attempt to scuttle the vigilance inquiry against the company and its officials. Moreover, the officials who were directly involved and who were aware of the entire issue were not called for at the meeting, they added.

In a major development, the government has served a showcase notice on the HML with 

respect to retrieving about 20,000 acres of land in their illegal possession. Special officer M G Rajamanickam who probed the irregularities with regard to HML land in four districts – 

Pathanamthitta, Kollam, Kottayam and Idukki – served the notice under rule 9, section 12 of 

the KLC Act, giving the company authorities one month's time to reply. 

The notice was served after the special team constituted under Rajamanickam completed the inspection of the 25630.94 acres of land that comes under the 1600/1923 document. The special team was appointed based on the High Court judgement, which had permitted the government to reclaim the land which is allegedly in their illegal possession by implementing provisions of the Land Conservancy Act.

Source: The New Indian Express

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/218450/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/24-01-2014#page/4/1

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/c/2267891