The State government is yet to make use of about 180.57acres of land acquired at exorbitant rates for setting up industrial units at different IT parks.
The land allotted in parcels to 41 companies has been remaining idle for long.
The IT policy drawn up in 2007 had mooted a hub-and- spoke model for expanding the IT infrastructure base at the behest of Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Limited (KSITIL).
The latest Comptroller and Auditor General report on managing government land says that ``Forty one allottees did not utilise the land measuring 180.57 acres allotted in different IT parks defeating the very objective.”
KSITIL had acquired about 404.90 acres for Rs.112.46 crore. The land was proposed to be used for creating basic infrastructure facilities like internal road, power, drainage and water supply systems. It allotted the land to entrepreneurs on the basis of their project reports and land availability.
Considering the huge employment potential in IT sector, the government had cleared seven parks at Ambalapuzha, Cherthala, Kannur, Kasargod, Kollam, Koratty and Kozhikode.
The lease premium to be levied from the entrepreneurs was fixed on the basis of the cost for acquiring and developing land, plus three per cent overhead and 10 per cent returns on development. Lapses have been detected in land acquisition and lease collection too. Ambalapuzha project was abandoned as the Kerala State Biodiversity Board objected to construction on the acquired land. The land remaining after constructing an IT building at the Cherthala Park is yet to be allotted.
The CAG has expressed reservations about the marketing prospects of the 31 acres of land secured in Kollam. Since it falls in the `kayal poramboke’ category, it will affect the marketing prospects, the report says.
The 180.57 acres of unused land include those acquired by Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Kinfra) and Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC).
Official sources told The Hindu here that no steps had been done to find out whether the allotted land has been used for its intended purpose and also to recover the unused land from the allottees as well as agencies that held them without valid reasons. EOM/NJN
