Thiruvananthapuram: The state government has admitted that govt-backed Kerala Metals and Minerals Ltd. (KMML) bought synthetic rutile from Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL), which is mired in a controversy over its alleged opaque financial links with a firm owned by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter.
Earlier, on January 30, when Congress MLA CR Mahesh had asked a query in the state legislature on whether KMML was buying synthetic rutile from CMRL, the answer was no. The admission now has been made by Industries Minister P Rajeeve on a query raised by legislators A P Anilkumar, Roji M John, Shafi Parambil and Uma Thomas on February 13.
The admission is that KMML caught synthetic rutile from CMRL during the period from 2008 to 2020. Manorama had reported on February 12 that KMML had bought synthetic rutile from CMRL.
The admission came on the query raised after the report was published. Manorama had reported that mineral sand collected from Thottapally was given to CMRL by Indian Rare Earths Ltd. and the former had passed this on to synthetic rutile manufacturing public sector unit KMML by citing GST e-way bills, which are electronic documents for the movement of goods in the country for consignments exceeding Rs 50,000.
Synthetic rutile is used in the production of Titanium Dioxide.
Only KMML and IREL were mandated to procure mineral sand from coastal areas. This makes it clear that CMRL had procured mineral sand via public sector units and sold its produce–synthetic rutile–to another PSU, KMML.
The CMRL’s admission to Income Tax sleuths that it had paid political parties and government officials Rs 135 crore had stirred a row, which points the needle of suspicion on the synthetic rutile procurement of KMML from CMRL.
