CBI probes Coast Guard wetland takeover move
About 40 percent of the land is covered by a mangrove forest
Kozhikode: The CBI anti-corruption bureau has started a preliminary investigation into the allegations of corruption in the Coast Guard move to acquire 26 acres of wetland belonging to Karanthur Sunni Markaz in Kozhikode city.
CBI sources told DC that the available evidence proved that there was an effort to escalate the land cost for acquisition and thus favour Markaz to siphon off government funds.
The CBI has learnt that a defence ministry-level conspiracy had taken place to let the Coast Guard acquire the land after Markaz failed to get building permission in the land due to its classification. About 40 percent of the land is covered by a mangrove forest.
DC had exposed the behind-the-scene moves in the deal and the effort of the then district collector P.B. Salim in escalating the land cost during land evaluation.
In his file notes, accessed through RTI, he had stated that there was no benchmark available for deciding on the market rate of land in the area and quoted a price comparing the market price for commercial land available in the area.
Sources told DC that the price quoted by the then district administration was 200 percent above the justifiable price as it was wetland with no scope for a construction permit.
"Our information is that there was a Defence Ministry- level conspiracy behind this during the UPA regime to help Markaz get rid of the property.
They manipulated a provision in the CRZ rules which gave permission to the central government agencies to take up construction wherever it suited them.
So the Coast Guard could easily construct its buildings in the wetland. Markaz wanted to get rid of this property when he failed to get a construction permit," a CBI official told DC.