The Thiruvananthapuram Vigilance Court on Thursday admitted a petition filed by Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan seeking a probe against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter Veena Vijayan, and the firm, Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL).
During the hearing, the state government counsel strongly opposed Kuzhalnadan’s petition citing lack of clarity in the petitioner’s demand. The court nixed the arguments and accepted the petition. It asked the vigilance director to submit a report on the petition and posted the case for further hearing on 14 March.
In his petition, Kuzhalnadn mentioned corruption such as giving illegal permission for mining in Alappuzha’s Thottapally and concession in land purchase for CMRL. He alleged in his petition that CM Vijayan misused his power to favour the Kochi-based mining firm by violating land reform rules and in the bargain helped Veena Vijayan to get illegal gratification for her IT company Exalogic Solutions.
Earlier, addressing a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, Kuzhalnadan said Chief Minister Vijayan’s largesse to the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) in 2020 cost the public exchequer Rs.40,000 crore by a conservative estimate.
The Congress MLA alleged that it was by invoking his powers under the State Disaster Management Act (SDMA) that he directed the District Collector, Alappuzha, to grant the CMRL permission to remove the mineral-rich sand under the pretext of dredging and deepening the canal to mitigate seasonal flooding.
He further alleged that the CMRL quarried 53 lakh tonnes from the channel. The CMRL’s profits increased multifold, touching a peak of Rs.40,000 crore through this, he said.