KOZHIKODE: IUML leader P K Firoz has levelled serious corruption allegations against former minister K T Jaleel over a controversial land acquisition for Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University.
According to Firoz, Jaleel directly intervened in the acquisition of 11 acres of land for the university, allegedly facilitating the purchase from relatives of Minister V Abdurahiman and persons linked to senior CPM leaders. He claimed the land was purchased at inflated prices, causing a massive financial loss to the state exchequer.
“Land that locals had sold earlier for just Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 per cent was later acquired by the government for Rs 1.6 lakh per cent. While the fair market value in the region was around Rs 40,000 per cent, the government paid nearly four times higher, at Rs 1.5 lakh per cent, amounting to over Rs 17 crore for 11 acres,” Firoz alleged.
He further accused Jaleel of personally profiting from the deal. “This is clear corruption. Despite the land being acquired six years ago, no construction has taken place because the expert committee classified it as Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) land. The Green Tribunal has also not granted permission for undertaking development activities on the land,” he said.
Firoz added that the acquisition was done without proper environmental clearance, and alleged that large sums of money changed hands. “The transaction happened during the pandemic period, taking advantage of the situation. If Jaleel continues to deny involvement, more evidence will be released to prove his direct role,” he warned. He demanded that the government reclaim the land and take action against those responsible for the alleged fraud.
Former minister K T Jaleel clarified that the decision to acquire land for Malayalam University was not taken during his tenure as minister. Jaleel detailed the timeline & dismissed corruption charges. According to Jaleel, the land deal was finalised on February 17, 2016, when the UDF government was in power.
At the time, the agreed rate was I1,70,000 per cent. He further stated that it was the subsequent LDF government that reduced the price by I10,000 per cent and excluded 6.25 acres of unusable land from the transaction. “There was no corruption of any kind in the land acquisition,” Jaleel asserted.