Ernakulam: Continuing its attack against the ruling Left Front in the state over the Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled cameras set up as part of the 'Safe Kerala' initiative, the Congress on Monday said the government has been hiding facts regarding the contracts.
Opposition Leader V D Satheesan alleged that the contracts enable the state PSU Keltron and the Bengaluru-based firm SRIT to get amass profit without any work. He said this amounted to 'nokku kooli'. "The only loss through the scheme is to the public. People, who are already suffering due to the high tax burden, are being looted in the name of traffic violations," he said.
He alleged that the Bengaluru firm was associated with the Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society, which has won the largest number of infrastructure development tenders in the state.
Noting that the company which is a major partner in the AI camera installation had a business relationship with ULCC, Sathessan said the state awarded contacts to the Kannur-based power brokers.
Sobha Rennaisance Information Technology Private Ltd, or SRIT, founder-managing director Madhu Nambiar and investor-director P C Martin, ULCC chairman Rameshan Paleri and ULCC MD S Shaju were business partners. In 2016, they formed a company called ULCC-SRIT, Manorama News reported.
"Based on the Rs 232-crore agreement between the transport department and Keltron, the state PSU gave a sub-contract for Rs 151 crore. The contract was awarded to SRIT. A consortium comprising this company also got the contract for the management of the K-Fon project," he said.
"As in the K-Fon project, the company sub-contacted the work for a lower price to other companies, thereby pocketing a large profit," he said.
"SRIT formed a consortium in November 2020 with Light Master Lighting India Limited at Nalanchira in Thiruvananthapuram and Rasadio Technologies Private Limited at Malaparamba in Kozhikode after getting the contract for AI cameras. This shows that SRIT did not have the technical know-how to complete the project on its own," he said.
"It is only a power broker that wins government contracts. This is what happened in the K-Fon project. It should be looked into how this incompetent firm got the contract. The transparency of the government's tender process is under question here," he said.
"The government pays the amount to Keltron in installments for the implementation of the project. Initially, the contract companies have to invest to implement the project. The government should reveal who has invested crores of rupees in the project at this stage," he said.
Training his gun on the transport minister, Satheesan said the documents submitted by Antony Raju in the Cabinet meeting seeking approval for comprehensive regulatory approval for the Safe Kerala project indicate the depth and scope of this corruption. "According to these documents, the government aims to collect Rs 420.25 crore from the people in five years using AI cameras. That is, Rs 232.25 crore of project cost and an additional Rs 188 crore," he told reporters.
"It is mysterious that Keltron, which was selected as a project management consultancy, later grew into the role of selecting even the project operators. Keltron had invited tenders for the purchase of cameras and other equipment required for the project. The Cabinet meeting note does not specify who participated in the tender and which company was selected," the opposition leader said.
