By IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : Kerala businessman Savy Mano Mathew, who sold 82 acres of land to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for a proposed space institute, said Thursday he is ready for any probe into the allegation that the land he sold belonged to the government.
Opposition parties in the state have alleged that state government’s forest department owned that land and Mathew sold it illegally in connivance with state Forest Minister Binoy Viswom.
“I have already informed the court (Kerala High Court) that I am ready for any probe and I am really surprised why the state government is not going ahead with a probe,” Mathew told reporters here.
Currently the Kerala High Court is hearing a petition filed by an individual demanding a complete investigation into the land scam.
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 about 120 acres and in the first phase 82 acres were sold for Rs.32.5 million ($800,000) to the ISRO.
Since the controversy broke out, the state government has declared null and void Mathew’s sale of land to the ISRO because that piece of land ocmes under the purview of eco-fragile land.
“I have all the documents to prove the government wrong because I am just the third owner of this estate in the last nearly 200 years,” said Mathew.
“Since the matter is pending before the court, close to 600 workers are unemployed in the tea estate. I am writing to the chief minister and other ministers about the condition of the estate now. I have invested a lot of money and now nothing is happening,” he said.
“I and Viswom have no relation at all, except that I knew him for a few years because he has been a legislator for the past seven years,” added Mathew.
Kerala Congress (Secular) legislator P.C. George Wednesday had alleged that the Vishwom and Mathew are close to each other. He alleged that Mathew gave a large sum of money to a newly re-launched paper of the Communist Party of India, which is Viswom’s party.
“Mathew’s advocate recently also deposited a huge sum of money in a newly opened branch of a bank where Viswom’s wife works,” said George.