KOCHI: Former PWD Minister V K Ebrahim Kunju has justified the release of advance amount to the firm in the Palarivattom flyover case.
At a press meet on Friday, the former minister said the allocation of mobilisation advance is quite common. For various projects, the present and previous governments have given advance payments to concerned firms, he said.
In a reply to the question on the absence of the mobilisation advance mentioned in the contract, he said a minister has discretionary powers. He cited a few Supreme Court judgments in this regard.
Speaking about the appointment of the then PWD Secretary, Ebrahim Kunju said it was after repeated reports of difficulties faced by agencies including World Bank, it was decided to appoint a secretary for the department.
Until then, the Additional Secretaries were given extra responsibilities, he said. The former minister said he is ready to cooperate with the investigation team if summoned and has nothing to hide in the case.