Govt to form SIT for probing alleged irregularities in KIIFB land acquisition in Kannur | Hindustan Times

Thiruvananthapuram, The Keralam government has decided to constitute a SIT to probe alleged irregularities in the acquisition of 4,896 acres of land in Kannur district for industrial projects through the KIIFB, official sources said on Saturday.

Govt to form SIT for probing alleged irregularities in KIIFB land acquisition in KannurDIG Thomson Jose will head the Special Investigation Team , which will include officials from the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau , and an order constituting the team is expected to be issued shortly, sources said.

A preliminary inquiry will be conducted before registering a formal case into the alleged irregularities.

The decision follows a government order issued on Friday entrusting the VACB with a detailed investigation into procedural lapses in the proposed land acquisition.

According to the government order, the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board had, at its 33rd board meeting held on October 25, 2018, approved the acquisition of 5,336 acres in Palakkad and Kannur at an estimated cost of ₹12,710 crore for setting up large multi-sector industrial parks.

However, the decision was allegedly taken based on a concept note submitted by KIIFB without a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis or clearly defined and commercially viable projects to justify the requirement and financial feasibility of acquiring such a large extent of land, the order said.

The government has raised concerns over the financial implications of the project and whether the procedures prescribed under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, were followed in determining land values and compensation.

The order said that the probe will examine whether there were irregularities or manipulations in the valuation process, whether real estate transactions or vested interests influenced the acquisition decision and whether the decision complied with Section 6F of the KIIFB Act, 2016, and the 2018 guidelines.

Changes made to the locations originally selected for the projects will also come under scrutiny, the order said.

The vigilance probe is based on the findings of an expert panel headed by retired IAS officer Sudha Pillai, which the UDF government constituted to review KIIFB's functioning.

The panel had flagged alleged financial irregularities and procedural lapses in the board's land acquisition for industrial infrastructure projects.

Chief Minister VD Satheesan had earlier informed the Assembly that irregularities in KIIFB's land acquisition would be investigated.

He had also raised concerns over the proposal to acquire an additional 4,000 acres in Kannur.

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