By IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : Businessman Savy Mano Mathew, who sold 82 acres of controversial land to set up a space institute of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Kerala, said Wednesday the land was not eco-fragile.
“The land which I sold does not come under the purview of eco-fragile land and I have all the documents to prove it,” said Mathew here, breaking his silence since the controversy erupted five months back.
Mathew had purchased 707 acres of tea estate in Ponmudi, around 80 km from here, from the Birla Group in 2005. He entered into a deal with the ISRO in July for the transfer of around 120 acres of land and in the first phase 82 acres of land was sold for Rs.32.5 million.
Opposition parties in the state have alleged that the land belongs to the state government’s forest department and Mathew sold it illegally in connivance with Forest Minister Binoy Viswom.
Following the outbreak of the controversy, the state government earlier this month cancelled the deal between the ISRO and Mathew, and offered to give ISRO an alternative site for free.
The government gave 100 acres of land to the ISRO and Tuesday decided to give 20 acres more for the proposed space institute.
“The 100 acres of land the state government has decided to give falls in the eco-fragile zone and cannot be given for the institute,” Mathew alleged.
Mathew said he had responded to an advertisement of the ISRO last December and offered his land.
“There were 17 applicants for sale of land and my land was quoted the least. I am told the highest quoted figure was Rs.1.20 million for an acre. If my land was eco-fragile, do you think I would ever go for the tender. I have sold the land to the ISRO and also collected money. Now the case is in the court,” said Mathew.