THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government’s initiative to set up wayside rest houses along national highways has run into controversy after senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala came up with allegations of corruption in the project. He asked the government to keep the ownership of the land allotted to private companies for setting up rest houses, with the government. In a press meet, he said that the value of the land allotted to companies in two places for setting up rest houses was fixed below market value and it smacks of corruption.
“Preliminary steps for the project were started during the term of the first Pinarayi Vijayan government, with the PWD issuing an order on July 23, 2020, for building wayside rest houses. The plan was to lease out government land to private players for starting the project. However the project ran into rough weather as the-then revenue minister objected to the PWD’s order pointing out that the ownership of land rested with the revenue department,” Chennithala said. He also said that the-then PWD minister had informed the assembly that the land had not been allotted to anyone.
Chennithala said an order issued on October 29, 2022, by Norka department stated that land will be leased out to a private company, Overseas Kerala Investment and Holding Ltd (OKHIL) under the Norka department, in Mararikulam in Alappuzha and Thalappady in Kasaragod.
“In the cabinet note of May 25, 2022, it was noted that the market value of the land in Cherthala had been fixed at Rs 45 crore and the market value of the land in Manjeswaram was fixed at 7.35 crore. However, in an order issued by the government the next day, the market value of land in Kasaragod was revised to Rs 5.77 crore well below the value decided by the government earlier,” he said. Chennithala pointed out that in the reply given to him by the chief minister, there was no clarity on the ownership of the land.