Aranmula: Govt delays action against officials

The government is alleged to be delaying action against the officials responsible for illegal reclamation of the paddy fields and wet land in Aranmula, which has been recommended by the Land Revenue Commissioner. An official meeting held on Tuesday with respect to the issue is learned to have not arrived at any decision.

The government, which is supportive of the proposed airport, is allegedly to be purposefully delaying the whole process as it will be at a loss to justify the action if taken against the officials who were responsible for the reclamation. Once action is taken against the officials, the government fears that the allegations of reclamation are proved true, it is alleged.

Revenue Principal Secretary Sathyajeeth Rajan, additional secretaries of the Revenue department and top officials from the Land Board and Commissionerate of Land Revenue were present at the meeting.

The meeting discussed in length the recommendations, which had called for action against the respective officials who had held the post from 2008 and responsible for the conversion. However, the officials are also learned to have raised the issue that the officials who had held the respective posts from 2006 onwards. In the meeting, it was also pointed out that action had been initiated against only one or two low level officials and the top officials were spared till now.

Source: The Newindian express

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/226858/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/10-02-2014#page/2/1

Conversion of Natural Pond into Swimming Pool: Panchayat still adamant against rules

The pace at which the Pallichal panchayat is moving ahead with the conversion of a 

natural pond into a swimming pool has mounted apprehension among the public, even as a 

case is pending before the High Court.  The panchayat authorities are alleged to be 

gearing up the construction work in a move to complete it before any intervention crops 

in. 

A part for the pond near Vedivachancoil has now been filled with mud. The Authorities 

are also drying up the remaining pond for furthering the construction. The authorities 

are alleged to be moving  ahead after the  Jalasaya Samrakshana Samithi withdrew the 

petition it had filed before the High Court and the Lokayuktha. However, another case 

has now been filed before the High Court with respect to the pond.  

The people in the area who preferred anonymity said that the latest pace with which the pond is being dried up and filled with mud shows that the authorities want to complete 

the project fast believing that no interference can come once it is finished.  

Kerala Shastra Sahitya Parishath (KSSP), which has been voicing against the conversion 

of the pond violating the existing laws, alleged that the panchayat are now undertaking 

the work in a haste only to mislead the people and the court. 

Though the Panchayat authorities claim to have undertaken a major part of the work, it 

can be seen that only mud filling exercise has been done, former KSSP state secretary 

and a native of Vedivachancoil said. Moreover, he also refuted the claim of the authorities that the pond is dry. ''One can see that the pond is now being dried up using pump for 

further construction. Moreover water can also be seen at one end of the pond. All these 

show that the authorities are spreading mere lies,'' he said. 

Meanwhile, Kerala State Sports  Council said that they were not aware of any new case 

being filed with respect to the pond. When contacted, Council secretary P S Abdul 

Rassak  said that he was not aware of any new case filed with respect to the pond. 

''I only have the information that case has been settled and construction work has started again,'' he said. 

Source: The New Indian Express

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/225294/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/07-02-2014#page/17/1

Aranmula: Govt for giving exemption to over 200 acres of land

The state government, which is so adamant in supporting the controversial private Airport at Aranmula despite widespread protests citing several legal impediments pertaining to land acquisition and environment disasters , has decided to go ahead with granting exemption to more than 200 acres of land that the airport promoters -- KGS group had acquired as part of the project.

The Revenue department has been asked to make a proposal in the cabinet with regard to providing exemption to the land acquired by the private company inviloation of the Land Reforms Act. The decision was taken at a meeting held on Friday, which was attended by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, Pathanamthitta MLA K Shivadasan Nair, Revenue Principal Secretary Sathyajeeth Rajan and top officials from the Land Board and Commissionerate of Land Revenue.

In the meeting it was also decided to file a counter affidavit against the Green Tribunal order that stayed the construction of the airport until further orders, highly placed sources said. The meeting observed that the government had the discretionary powers to give exemption for the project under the Land Reforms Act and also from the Wet land and Paddy Conservation Act, the sources said.

Source: The New Indian Express

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/225885/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/08-02-2013#page/4/1

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

Land for Sreechitra Institute; protest brews against acquisition

Protest is brewing in the outskirts of the city – Ayiroorpara , Mangattukonam and Shastavattam area – against the government's move to acquire land for the Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute of Medical Sciences.

The people in the area are agitated against the alleged unilateral move, stating that the inhabited areas in Ayiroorpara , Mangattukonam and Shastavattam is being acquired for the project even when hundreds of acres of uninhabited land lies adjacent to the proposed project region. They also blame the councillor for having allegedly given the consent for acquiring their land without their knowledge.

Thulaseedharan Mangattukonam, convenor of the Action Council alleged that the people in the area knew about the acquisition only days after the notification period ended. ''Everything was done in secrecy. The councillor had not intimated about the the acquisition,'' he said and added that more than 1000 families will be affected.

Pointing out that the area was filed with paddy fields and was a wet land, he said that the government was acquiring the land in the area when a vast stretch of land was lying adjacent. 

Source: The Newindian Express 

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/220617/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/29-01-2014#page/17/1

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

Centre not consulted on HML merger issue: Kerala

The Centre's decision not to object the merger between Harrisons Malayalam Ltd and three other companies has raised a controversy with the state government stating that it was not consulted on its views before the Ministry of Corporate affairs filed a report.

However, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs claimed that the state government had not filed any objection before it against the the amalgamation between Harrisons Malayala ltd and Enchanting Plantations Ltd, Malayalam Plantations Ltd and Harmony Plantations Ltd, and that the report was filed based on the papers available with it.

The revenue department officials said that the government had informed the Ministry that the company had mooted an amalgamation of its various companies by suppressing the material fact through forged and concocted documents, a matter of grave concern and against public interest that warranted investigation into the affairs of the company under section 237 of the Companies Act. It was on this basis that the Ministry of Corporate Affairs Deputy Director M S Pachouri directed the Regional Director and Registrar of Companies, Kerala, to furnish a report. ''So it is not known why the regional director now says that the state has not filed an objection,'' they said.

Moreover, the regional director should have inquired about the initiatives taken to retrieve the lands in their illegal possession, pending cases and also the criminal cases filed against the company executives. The regional director also have all the documents with regard to alleged violations of the Companies Act by the company with respect to the shifting of the office of the STEL holdings, which could also have been taken into account before giving such a report.

The Regional Director, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Chennai region, had filed before the High Court that it decided not to make any objection in the matter of amalgamation after the scheme of arrangement and other relevant papers were examined. Regional Director B K Bansal claimed that the state government had not filed any objection before him. 

Source: The Newindian Express
http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/215014/The-New-Indian-Express-Kochi/17012014#page/4/1