THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government is in for more trouble in the Wadakkancherry Life Mission apartment complex project. Amid an ongoing probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into the alleged kickbacks paid as part of the project, the Union Ministry of External Affairs will also examine various aspects of the controversial deal. Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan told TNIE that the MEA will examine if political clearance was required for the state government’s agreement with the UAE’s Red Crescent for the apartment complex project. If such a clearance was indeed required, the Centre will inquire why it was not obtained in the case of the Life Mission project.
“I have directed officials in the ministry to also examine if the agencies concerned used any loopholes to evade the Centre’s political clearance,” Muraleedharan said. The union minister’s comments assume significance as state Law Minister A K Balan had on Thursday said the MoU with the Red Crescent did not require clearance from the MEA.
However, former bureaucrats have disputed the state government’s claim. According to former chief secretary Jiji Thomson, political clearance is required even for matters such as the trip of an IAS officer to a foreign country. In the case of a major deal involving a foreign entity, the MEA’s clearance is a must, he said. “It is surprising why political clearance was not obtained for such a major project. If it was not done, then it is a major lapse,” Jiji Thomson pointed out.
A senior IAS officer expressed surprise over the state government showing the alacrity to obtain the clearance from the MEA for the recent e-bus deal with HESS AG of Switzerland but failing to do so in the Life Mission project involving a UAE institution. “In the HESS deal, the MEA had laid down the condition that the MoU should be between the state-run PSU and the Switzerland company and that the state government should not directly be a party to it,” the official reminded, adding that the Centre’s directives to this effect are binding on the states.
Life Mission CEO U V Jose could not be reached for a comment on why such a crucial aspect was ignored by Life Mission while inking the MoU with the Red Crescent.Meanwhile, a letter by the Life Mission CEO to the Red Crescent on the Wadakkanchery project has come back to haunt the state government. The letter stated that Life Mission had examined the drawings of the apartment complex submitted by Unitac and had found it satisfactory. It further stated that Life Mission would help obtain all statutory approvals or permits necessary for the construction.The Opposition said the letter proved that the government had direct links with Unitac during various stages of the project.
CM’s ‘lie’ exposed, should step down: Chennithala
T’Puram: Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala has termed Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s claim that the state government had no direct links with the developers of the Wadakkanchery Life Mission apartment complex project, as a ‘blatant lie’. In the wake of the new revelations regarding the government’s involvement in the project, the CM should step down from his post before the upcoming assembly session, Chennithala demanded. “Fresh documents have emerged that the government had contacted Unitac during various stages of the project,” Chennithala told reporters.