By IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan Friday sought to turn the tables on the opposition over the controversial purchase of forestland by Indian space agency ISRO, by stating that the deal was struck during the earlier Congress regime in 2005.
Achuthanandan said: “The deal for purchase of land by Savy Mano Mathew (who in turn sold it to ISRO) took place in March 2005 and the documents for the land were made out by him in June 2005 when Oommen Chandy and then revenue minister K.M. Mani were controlling the affairs here.”
Speaking to reporters, he said the Left government in 2000 had come out with an ordinance with strict clauses regarding the description of what forestland meant.
“In 2003, during the Congress-led government’s rule, they diluted the strict conditions of what forestland meant and enacted a new law. It was using these changed clauses that people like Mathew and others usurped government-owned land,” said Achuthanandan.
He said he was forced to state all this at a press conference because the opposition has been creating problems inside the assembly.
“Since everything is clear now, we don’t think there is a need for any enquiry. But we are giving time to forest officials (involved in the deal) who have played a wrong game in not doing their duty. If they own up their mistake then it is okay, if not we will think otherwise,” said Achuthanandan.
But Forest Minister Binoy Viswom gave a clean chit to forest officials and said they have not done anything wrong.
“We have already taken steps to recover the land that Mathew transferred to ISRO and the opposition is trying to cover up their lapses by coming out with baseless arguments,” Viswom told reporters.
At the heart of the controversy is a deal finalised by ISRO, which bought a plot of 82 acres of forestland in Ponmudi, 75 km from here, from high-profile businessman Savy Mano Mathew to set up a space institute.
The opposition Congress says the land belongs to the forest department and was sold with the full connivance of Viswom. It says his department took decisions in haste so as to help Mathew close the deal.
Assembly proceedings were disrupted for the third day in a row over the issue Friday.
The Congress-led opposition Friday in the assembly accused Achuthanandan of reneging on his promise to make a statement on the controversy around ISRO purchasing forestland.
“He had assured the assembly Wednesday that he would, after verifying everything, make a statement on whether the issue raised by me was right or Viswom was right. Today he has run away, failing to make a statement, which means that my statement is right,” Leader of Opposition Chandy told reporters here.
“Achuthanandan has been vociferous against the land mafia in the state. And today he is shielding a corrupt deal made out by Viswom. We will not settle for anything less than the resignation of Viswom and also a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe,” said Chandy.
On Thursday night, the Kerala government decided to make a fresh allotment of land to ISRO for setting up the institute because of the controversy.