Two days after the State government directed the District Collector, Kottayam, to acquire 2,263.18 acres belonging to the Cheruvally Estate in Erumely South and Manimala villages for the proposed Sabarimala greenfield airport, BJP State president K. Surendran has alleged corruption in the deal and sought withdrawal from the move.
He told the media here on Saturday that going by its submission before various courts, the above-mentioned land belonged to the government. A report by M.G. Rajamanickam, special officer to identify landholdings of British citizens and companies in Kerala prior to Independence and to verify ownership of land after that in terms of titles conferred on landholders by the government, too had highlighted that fact. So, the government move will lead to corruption amounting to hundreds of crores of rupees, Mr. Surendran claimed. The land earlier belonged to Harrisons Malayalam Plantations.
Mr. Surendran alleged that the move would only help the private estate’s claim over the land and scuttle efforts to reclaim government land encroached upon through various means. “There is a high-level conspiracy involving the Chief Minister and the Believers’ Eastern Church, which owns the land now. The ruling party is engaging in corruption at the fag end of its tenure,” he alleged. The proposed airport needs only 700 acres, and what is the need for over 2,000 acres?” Mr. Surendran asked.
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“The Communist Party of India, which handles both the Revenue and Forests portfolios, should declare its stand on the issue. The Congress is keeping mum,” he added.