The Opposition on Wednesday walked out of the Assembly angered over the government's refusal to adjourn the House to discuss the Revenue Department's controversial decision to allow a private company with "shady links" to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's office to convert 15 acres of paddy land to saleable real estate at Kunnathunadu in Ernakulam district.
Moving the adjournment motion, V.P. Sajeendran of the Congress said the decision of the then Additional Chief Secretary P.H. Kurien to overrule the District Collector's order to restore the wetland smacked of partisanship.
A controversial businessman, whom Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) chairman V.S. Achuthanandan had repeatedly referred to as a "contemptible" character, controlled the firm through his nominees, Mr. Sajeendran alleged.
The MLA said Mr. Kurien had on the eve of his retirement in May bypassed due process and with suspicious haste cancelled the Collector's order under pressure from the Chief Minister's office and without the concurrence of Revenue Minister E. Chandrasekharan. He bypassed the Law Department and processed the file at lightning speed to favour the firm, he alleged.
Mr. Chandrasekharan told the House that the government had ‘frozen’ Mr. Kurien's order after it found it to be erroneous. He said the government surveyors had designated the tract of land as paddy field in its map-based data bank of paddy fields and wetlands. Hence none could alter the lie of the property.
Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said the Minister's reply was unsatisfactory. He challenged Mr. Chandrasekharan to repeal the order and initiate an anti-corruption inquiry against those officials responsible for the violation.
He said the Minister was buying time for the company and was under duress from the Chief Minister's office to support the firm. In stark contrast, he slapped a Vigilance case against a person for attempting to convert paddy field into real estate in neighbouring Choonikkara village.
Mr. Chennithala said the Chief Minister had pulled the rug from under Mr. Chandrasekharan's feet recently by usurping the magisterial power vested in District Collectors and handing over the authority to Police Commissioners. The CPI should show the courage to stand up to such arbitrary decisions.