Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 19 (IANS) Information has now surfaced that former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had called for the urgent acquisition of land in Kannur through the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), stressing its necessity for industrial development.
Vijayan, when he led (2016-26) Kerala, pressed for the acquisition during a meeting with the KIIFB chief executive officer, maintaining that the land was essential for industrial development.
The disclosure assumes significance amid allegations of serious irregularities in the acquisition and questions over the high prices paid for the land.
Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA) reportedly fixed the price at Rs 2.5 crore per acre in Kannur and Rs 1 crore per acre in Palakkad.
This came out last week when the details of the expert committee headed by former Finance Secretary Sudha Pillai flagged serious irregularities in KIIFB’s land acquisitions during the previous LDF government.
The committee raised concerns over purchases at prices reportedly as high as five times the market value.
Despite the substantial outlay and the stated urgency of the industrial projects, no work has begun on the Kannur land so far, raising questions over the justification for the acquisition and the delay in putting the property to use.
The issue has also left hundreds of small landowners in distress.
More than 700 acres in two villages in Kannur were notified for acquisition around eight years ago, but the affected owners were yet to receive compensation. They say they cannot mortgage the land to secure loans or cultivate it.
Even new drinking water connections to their homes have reportedly become difficult to obtain because of the acquisition notification.
The landowners have demanded that the government either complete the acquisition and pay compensation or withdraw the notification if the land is no longer required.
The controversy has acquired added political significance as Kannur is a stronghold of the CPI(M), home to several of its senior leaders, including Vijayan.
Any questions over a major land deal in the district, therefore, carry implications beyond the project itself.
Addressing an extended Kannur district party meeting on Sunday, Vijayan defended KIIFB’s land acquisitions and rejected Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan’s allegations of irregularities.
He said acquisitions followed established legal procedures and that compensation was determined through the prescribed process, not arbitrarily.
Landowners unhappy with the amount, he said, could approach the courts for revision.
Defending the proposed science and IT parks, Vijayan argued that the choice of locations reflected land availability and implementation requirements, and denied that development in Kannur amounted to political favouritism.
This fresh development comes at a time when CM Satheesan has already announced that a high-level probe is needed, and the agency will likely be named this week, making it yet another case in which Vijayan is linked.
–IANS
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