THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan on Monday filed a petition before the Vigilance Court here seeking an investigation against Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in the controversial Patoor land scam.
“It is quite evident that the Chief Minister along with some officials helped the real estate group take over public land,” he alleged.
In the petition, he asked the court to direct the Vigilance to register an FIR against the Chief Minister and others. Achuthanandan himself reached the court and filed the petition. Coming out of the court, he said that the petition was accepted and it would be considered on December 30.
Apart from the Chief Minister, the others who are named accused in the plea are former Chief Secretary E K Bharat Bhushan, former Kerala Water Authority M D Ashok Kumar Singh, Revenue Department additional secretary T V Vijaya Kumar, Avruthi Mall management Company Ltd and its MD and Artech Realtors and its MD.
Achuthanandan, in his petition, alleged that Chandy and others had abused their position as public servants and helped the realtors through corrupt and illegal means. He further said that the Chief Minister and others had taken hasty decision in shifting the pipeline that went under the building, defying the reports of the Vigilance as well as the Water Resources Department that the land belonged to the latter. Both the departments were also not consulted before taking a final decision, he added.
It was also submitted that the Constitution or the Rules of Business of Government of Kerala does not confer power on the Chief Minister to freely intervene in the affairs of the portfolio of a minister.
Achuthanandan also alleged that Chandy had intervened at a stage when the Water Resources Department decided to reject the shifting of the pipeline and called back the file. The Chief Minister then directed the Revenue Secretary to conduct a quick enquiry to find out facts and suggest appropriate action. After this, a committee was formed under the Chief Secretary to look into the matter. After different reports were filed by the District Collector, Vigilance, Land Revenue Commissioner and Revenue Secretary, the Chief Minister directed the Chief Secretary to examine the matter. The chief secretary in his note file stated that the land through which the pipeline passed was not puramboke land.
Achuthanandan also submitted that the realtors, with the connivance of public servants, created documents to legalise the land under the Water authority in their name. And in the attempt, they got the pumping line that was going across the company’s property shifted to the Revenue land.
He also said that the government had not taken into account the Vigilance report of filing criminal case against the company on the ground that it had encroached on puramboke land.