The Ernakulam district committee of the CPI(M) said here on Saturday that the deal between Cochin Port Trust and a private entrepreneur for the long-term lease of 10.59 hectares should be scrapped and that the land, solely meant for port-related activities, should not be used for building apartments, a convention centre as well as villas.
A statement issued by the CPI(M) district committee here on Saturday said the deal that the Port Trust had entered into reflected serious misuse of power and financial irregularity.
The statement demanded that the deal should be immediately scrapped and that an inquiry should be conducted into the background of the deals.
The CPI(M) statement also claimed that the explanations given by the Port Trust on leasing out the reclaimed land were not acceptable. It claimed that the reclaimed land, worth crores of rupees, was handed over to the entrepreneur using clauses that went against common interest. The statement also claimed that the industrial group which leased the land from the Port Trust could keep the land indefinitely, paving the way for the land passing into the hands of the private owner.
The statement demanded an inquiry into the “conspiracy” that went into handing over of priceless stretch of public property to the private enterprise and called for the immediate cancellation of the deal.
