Kochi: The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Kerala Maritime Board, who deposed to the police that the office of the State Minister for Ports had intervened in granting registration for a boat that was involved in a major accident, has been removed from the post.
Twenty-two people, several from a single family, died as the illegally modified boat named 'Atlantic' sank near an estuary at Tanur in Kerala's Malappuram district on May 7.
In his statement to the police the CEO, T P Salim Kumar, said that C P Anwar Sadat, additional private secretary to Ports Minister Ahammed Devarkovil had called him, asking him to consider the application submitted by the boat owner, Nassar, for registration of the vessel.
Following the statement, the allegation that top-level intervention helped in ensuring registration for the ill-fated boat gained credence.
Interestingly, Salim’s statement also says that he had given the approval for going ahead with the process for granting registration to Nassar’s boat not because of the call received from the additional private secretary to the Minister, but because it was “legally feasible”.
The same statement also points fingers at many irregularities in granting registration to the boat. The CEO himself clarifies in the statement that the top official (CEO) need not intervene in issues such as the registration of vessels, their survey and cancellation of registration. It has also been revealed that the port officer at Alappuzha, who is the registering authority, had submitted a report stating that registration cannot be granted to the vessel as it had been built without obtaining prior permission.
Salim’s statement, anyhow, made it difficult to limit the police probe into the accident to the officials and the role of the Minister’s office came under a cloud of suspicion.
Strangely, the alleged intervention of the Minister’s office is not under the purview of the probe despite the top officer of the Maritime Board giving a statement to that effect.
Meanwhile, a bid to lay the full responsibility for the lapse in granting registration to the boat on the ex-CEO and officials under him is on, claimed sources.
New appointee
The Additional Secretary to the General Administration Department, Shine A Haq, has been appointed as the new CEO on deputation.
The new CEO will assume charge today
The Government Order (GO) issued on August 18 says that the new CEO was appointed with the intention of posting an official with experience in administrative and service matters. This was necessary as the CEO has to deal with administrative matters too after the Ports Department was converted into the Maritime Board.
