Opposition walks out over Binoy's role in land deal

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 4 (UNI) The Congress-led opposition in Kerala Assembly today staged a walk-out claiming Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan was protecting Forest Minister Binoy Viswam, who had allegedly helped an individual to sell government land to ISRO for setting up an institute at Ponmudi, near here.

Moving a notice for an adjournment motion demanding a probe into the sale of land, Mr Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan of the Congress alleged that the deal took place with the knowledge of the minister.

Stating that there was no provision for revesting a government land, he alleged that the minister had helped the individual to acquive the property.

Replying to the notice, Mr Viswam said the state government would take all steps to ensure that the deal was transparent and the Chief Minister had convened a meeting of ISRO officials to take a final decision in this regard.

However, he clarified that though the government wanted to set up ISRO's Indian Institute of Space Technology (IIST) in the state, it would never support any ''shady deal'' and expressed the hope that ISRO would also never support any bogus deal.

In his speech, Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy clarified that the Opposition was not against providing land to ISRO. But it was against the sale of government land by an individual and demanded a CBI probe to bring out the truth behind the deal.

The Chief Minister informed that he had convened a meeting of ISRO officials and the Forest Minister to discuss the issue on September six, after which a decision would be taken.

The deal involves 82 acres of land purchased by ISRO from a private individual near Ponmudi hills in the district for setting up the IIST for creating future space scientists.

It was part of the 707.23 acre Merchiston Estate taken over by the government under the Kerala Forest (Vesting and Management of Ecologically Fragile Lands) Act of 2001.

ISRO had entered into a deal early this year for the transfer of about 120 acres of land from one Savy Mano Mathew. In the first phase, 82 acres of land was given. Mathew had purchased 707 acres of land in Ponmudi from the Birla Group in 2005 at a throwaway price.

UNI