Kozhikode: A chain of wayside amenity centres are coming up across Kerala for use by travellers so that they can refresh themselves by taking a break. The amenities here include toilet, provision of drinking water, food kiosks, shopping facilities and workshops. The much-needed facility is now in the eye of a storm as it is feared that government property on which the restrooms are coming up would be lost to the company formed under NORKA-Roots in association with expatriate Keralites.

Property measuring 5 acres each adjoining national and State highways is being handed over disregarding the objections raised by the departments of revenue, finance and law. The move is being justified stating that it is necessary for pledging the land documents to banks to obtain loans.

As per the project norms the government has to hand over the property to the company named Overseas Kerala Investment and Holding Limited (OKIHL).

According to the agreement the OKIHL has signed with Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) the project cost to establish wayside resting centres at 30 places is Rs 1,000 crore.

The market price of the land is to be deemed as the share of the government in the project.

As the first step, the process has begun to hand over with title 5 acres of land owned by the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Department at Thalappady in Kasaragod whose fair value has been estimated at Rs 7.5 crore and also 5 acre belonging to Steel Industrials Kerala Limited (SILK) and Autokast Ltd at Cherthala, valued at Rs 45 crore, to the OKIHL.

It was also decided to cancel the tenders floated by SILK and Autokast for setting up a petrol pump on the land at Cherthala.

Plots of land belonging to the Public Works Department at Lakkidi in Wayanad, by revenue department and Forest Industries Travancore Limited in Aluva, and forest land in Nilambur, Malappuram, have been identified for establishing resting centres.

The earlier stipulation that land alienation should be avoided has been excluded after the OKIHL submitted an application to the contrary.

The Managing Director of OKIHL is Baju George. The Chief Minister, Additional Chief Secretary in the Department of Finance, Principal Secretary in the Industries Department, and O V Mustafa are members of the board of directors.

Earlier, M Sivasankar, the former Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, had decided to depute Swapna Suresh, an accused in the gold-smuggling and Life Mission graft cases, to this project.

The stand of different departments

The changes proposed in the project norms by different departments in the note prepared for the Cabinet meeting are:

Revenue Department

The Land Revenue Commissioner states that concessions not given to even entities such as KSRTC and KSEB are being extended to OKIHL. There is no provision to hand over land to companies without charging a lease amount or the cost of the land, instead of leasing out the land.

Law Department

The decision to confer ownership of the government land on the company is outside the purview of the land assignment rules. It should be carried out after the Finance Department examines the issue.

Finance Department

The land in Thalappady belongs to the GST Department. The land cannot be sold at the market rate. The land could be leased out on the basis of annual payment of rent after retaining the ownership of the GST Department with the condition that the property would be returned if check posts are re-established.