BJP - Congress, Muslim League Exchange Charges on Ashoka Hotel Deal
M.M.Hassan Minister for Parliamentary Affairs & Information minister has categorically said that the Kovalam Hotel and the controversial palace have been sold to the Galfar group by the former central government headed by the BJP. This statement contradicts the public statements made by the state chief minister A.K.Antony and the Finance Minister P.Shankaran who openly denied having handed over the palace to any private parties.
Making a mockery of democratic principles of public accountability, the cheap ministers of Antony cabinet are misleading the public. Hassan revealed that the BJP Government sought state government approval on privatizing the Ashoka Hotel and handing over the palace to the Galfar group. He said the state government is now trying to regain the Kovalam palace, fraudulently sold by the former central government. Hassan's statement is aimed at nullify the statewide agitation started by the BJP youth wing against the Kovalam palace handover, which was done by the saffron government.
The privatization of Centaur Hotel in Bombay was also a similar deal packed with corruption and nepotism. O.Rajagopalan, the former Central Minister and BJP leader claimed earlier that the Kovalam Palace was not part of the Ashoka Hotel privatization deal. In order to show a brave face and hide his dubious role in the multicrore deal, the BJP state unit has started an agitation itself against a deal brokered by the BJP leadership itself. The Halcyan Palace belonged to Regent Sethu Laxmibhai who ruled Thiruvananthapuram.
However, ITDC used to control the palace and 4.2 hectares of adjoining land. When the hotel was privatized, how did the BJP government allow the private business group to take control of this piece of property, owned by the state government? While the state BJP leadership and the ruling parties are accusing each other of making the dubious deal, the role of the concerned state ministers like Kunjalikutty, K.V.Thomas, K.M.Mani is shrouded in mystery. The Kovalam controversy has in fact opened a Pandora's Box of corruption and nepotism practiced by the BJP government.
CPM to take out march against illegal possession of Kovalam Castle
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As part of a joint campaign by the CPM and Kovalam Kottaram Samrakshana Samity, a public march will be organised to Kovalam Castle on July 25 against the nefarious move of ''illegal possession of the Castle, a historical monument. A private businessman from Oman Dr.P.Mohammed Ali has been accused of robbing'' the Castle antiques, CPI(M) District Secretary and former Assembly Speaker M Vijayakumar said today. At a press conference, he said the Kovalam Castle and its surrounding areas should be protected as a ''historical monument,'' and action should be taken against any individual, who had destroyed the historical compound wall, a few days back. He urged the Government to take necessary steps to declare the Castle and its surrounding areas as ''prohibited area,'' and register case against the robbing of antiques and destruction of the historical monuments. It may be recalled that the privatisation of Ashoka Hotel has been mired in controversy as the Oman based group has been accused of buying the property with Rs.400 crores at a a throw away price of Rs.44 crores.
Take Back Kovalam Palace and Adjacent Land from Galfar Group
Urges V.S.AchuthananthanState Tourism minister says no final decision on Kovalam Palace. But Galfar group has been claiming rent for the last one year..
V.S.Achuthananthan...Eighty plus..Age is not a barrier to fight corruption.
Thiruvananthapuram July 6: Leader of Opposition V.S.Achuthananthan has urged the state government to take back the ownership and control of Kovalam Palace and 10 acres of adjoining land, which was fraudulently usurped by the Oman based Galfar group headed by the Pravasi Bharathi Award Winning Non Resident Indian businessman Dr.P.Mohammed Ali.
State Tourism Minister P.Shankaran has said in a statement in the state assembly that the government has not taken any decision to hand over Kovalam Palace to the Galfar group. He was responding to an important submission by the opposition leader V.S.Achyuthanandan about the controversial deal that gave ownership of the palace to a private individual.
The Minister made it clear that in the present controversial circumstances a final decision would be taken only after verifying the legal procedures and related departments. Achuthanandan demanded that the government to take back Kovalam Palace from the Galfar group as it was not part of the Ashoka Hotel privatization deal. He has also demanded an explanation from the government on the circumstances which led to the Galfar group claiming control over the Kovalam palace along with the Ashoka Hotel of ITDC. Reflecting the confusion of the state government and the dubious role played by leading Kerala ministers in brokering the deal, the Minister did not give any reference to how the Palace reached the hands of a private individual.
The opposition leader V.S.Achyutanandan has said that the new hotel owner has not yet produced any documents to legitimize his ownership of the Kovalam Palace. It has been one year since the hotel is owned by the Galfar group. According to Achuthananthan the group has been illegally claiming rent for the palace. The group is giving tax for 16 hectors of land, out of which around 10 acres is illegally owned by it. This includes the land adjoining Kovalam Palace.
Galfar Mohammed Ali...
It may be recalled that Keralamonitor reported about the whole deal and the presence of State Tourism Minister K.V.Thomas, the civil aviation minister and other members of the ITDC privatization in Muscat Oman a few days before the official announcement of the deal. It was also reported that the deal was stuck at a very low price as two state ministers had vested interest in it. A leading BJP leader from Kerala was also part of the deal. KM also reported about the recent secret visit of Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, the CPM Parliamentary Party leader in the assembly. The covert move was to prevent the issue being raised in the Assembly.
Prime land has been usurped in the capital city and it is shameful that the government is not taking any move to stop such day light land grabbing. The hotel which is worth 400 crores was handed over to the Galfar group for just Rs. 44 crores. The hotel owner says that extra money has been spent. It is not known where these crores have gone to, the depth of the government's carelessness in this issue will be realised said Achutanandan. Even in his old ages, Achuthananthan continues to follow value based politics by going after corruption. This is not the first time that Achuthananthan has raised serious corruption issues in the Assembly.
The stubborn position of the CPM leader is to be viewed in the background of an ongoing dispute within the CPIM about supporting business tycoons like Abdul Wahab. There was a controversy when the leader of opposition was critical of some party members soft approach towards Abdul Wahab during his Rajyasabha election. This dispute between the pro-business lobby and the ideological stalwarts like Achuthananthan is visible in the overseas wings of CPIM. Members have been questioning the associations acting as a mouth piece of the big business houses like Galfar. There was growing discontent among the party sympathisers when the controversial figure in the Palace deal was honoured with a Ponnada by the ISC Kerala Wing. (KM News)
Shivasena to March to Kovalam PalaceThiruvananthapuram July 6: Shivasena would conduct a protest march to Kovalam palace against the move to give the Kovalam Palace to private individuals. The protest march which would start from the Shri Chithira Tirunal Smrithi Mandapam(Panchavadi) at Kowdiyar Palace would end at Kovalam Palace. It may be recalled that Shiva Sena was opposed to the privatization of Centaur Hotel of Bombay which was sold at a throw a way price to a leading BJP businessman. The Shiva Sena was opposed to the deal because its own leaders had an eye on the hotel. Shiva Sena is trying to make political mileage in Kerala by staging a protest march against the Kovalam Palace deal stuck by the BJP government in which the party was a coalition partner. A leading BJP leader from Kerala played crucial role in brokering the Ashoka Hotel deal. He was also host of Dr.P.Mohammed Ali, Galfar group Managing Director.
Meanwhile members of the erstwhile Royal family of Thiruvananthapuram have submitted a memorandum to the state chief minister A.K.Antony demanding the preservation of Kovalam hotel as a historical monument. Laxmi Raghunandan, Raghunandan Varma, Ravi Varma and Rama Varma, members of the Royal family now settled in Banglore met Antony at the Cliff house. The Palace belongs to Ramavarma Valiya Koyil Thampuran and the historical monuments and documents within it are to be preserved in his name. All documents and archeological monuments should be preserved as a historical museum, they said.
30 year old Indian lady commits suicide in Dubai
Dubai: On Sunday evening, a 30-year-old Keralite woman residing in Ajman identified as Sindhu Maria Joseph committed suicide by driving her green Chevrolet into the Dubai creek. The incident which occurred near the Saudi Arabian Consulate was reported at around 8.30 p.m. According to Dubai police sources, an audiocassette was found in which Sindhu's taped voice said that she would commit suicide though she didn't say why she wanted to kill herself. She spoke to her husband, Sony Wilson, moments before she plunged into the creek and her last words to him were: "I love you." She hails from a Christian family in Kanjikkuzhy, Kottayam.According to an eye witness the lady drove in from the Al Seef Street service road and drove up to the edge and off the side into the water. According to eyewitnesses, the incident happened to occur in a slow motion. The crews of some of the dhows who became the eyewitnesses watched helplessly as the car sank slowly.
Eye witnesses quoted by local English daily the Gulf News said that they heard a loud splash and the green Chevrolet go down very slowly. The car was fully submerged before the police divers arrived. The doors were apparently locked from inside. The divers resurfaced and took equipment with which they broke the window and brought her up and she was taken away immediately.
By the time the police divers arrived the car had drifted 10 metres and settled upside down on the muddy creek bed. Says a police officer, "Five minutes later the special task force arrived at the scene. We managed to locate the area where the car had plunged. Rescuers faced difficulty in opening the vehicle because it appeared the doors were centrally locked. Visibility at the bottom of the creek was poor. "Police said she was alive when she was rescued from the creek, but died on arrival at Rashid Hospital. According to a police officer, "There will probably be a post-mortem examination on Wednesday. The car is also being examined by forensic experts. Her family identified the body today."
Telegraph Report on the Galfar controversy
The Gulfar Group rejected the Marxist leader’s contention, and reiterate that the change of hands was legal and they possess the title deeds to the Kovalam property.M.M. Abdul Basheer, director of the group, which has invested Rs 100 crore on renovating the palace, said in Kochi yesterday that Gulfar will sort out the issue in consultation with the tourism department.There are fears that the group might dispose of the palace.Gulfar chairman Mohammed Ali’s proximity to ministers in the A.K. Antony cabinet and the state government’s alleged indifference have added grist to the rumour mill.Manmadhan Nair, the archaeology director in the state government’s department of culture, says any structure that is 75 years old is heritage property. However, neither the Union nor the state government sought his opinion on the late regent’s summer retreat at Kovalam. Read Full Report
KM Special - July 4. 2004 Read the report in Malayalam from Deshabhimani click
Erstwhile Royal Family members produce legal documents of Halcyon Palace Ownership
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - The controversy surrounding the 75 year old Halcyon Palace situated on the precinct of Kovalam Ashoka Beach Resort in Trivandrum has taken a new turn as members of the erstwhile royal family of Travancore have produced documentary evidence and urged the state government to convert the palace into a Protected Royal Memorial. The latest development has put the Pravasi Bharathi Award Winning NRI businessmen Dr.P.Mohammed Ali, partner and managing director of the Galfar group of Oman, and the Kerala state government in a difficult position. According to latest information, the grand daughter of late Regent of Travancore principality, Queen Sethu Parvathi Laxmi Bayi, her brother Balagopal Verma and husband Raghunandan met Trivandrum District Collector M.R.Muralidharan and handed over legal documents pertaining to the property on Friday.
http://www.hindu.com/2004/06/12/stories/2004061208430300.htm
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2004/07/19/stories/2004071901871300.htm
http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/2003/04/09/stories/2003040909480300.htm
http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/2003/04/09/stories/2003040909480300.htm
http://www.blonnet.com/2003/01/25/stories/2003012500621700.htm
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=World_News&subsection=India&month=July2004&file=World_News2004072831342.xml
http://www.expresshotelierandcaterer.com/20030908/newstrack01.shtml
http://www.khaleejtimes.co.ae/ktarchive/020602/subcont.htmPrevent Galfar group Usurpation of Kovalam Palace
40 Crore deal for a property of 400 Crores
Thiruvananthapuram - A number of prominent politicians have joined hands to stop the Great Palace Theft by the Galfar group in collaboration with two state ministers. Former state chief minister P.K.Vasudevan and other members of Kovalam Protection Council are exerting maximum pressure on the state chief minister A.K.Antony to preserve the Kovalam Palace as a Historical Monument. The Galfar group claimed ownership over Kovalam palace, after signing a dubious deal to purchase Ashoka Hotel at a throw away price. Challenging the alleged conspiracy hatched by a Gulf based NRK businessman in collaboration with two state ministers to fradulently claim ownership of the palace, the state assembly may also witness stormy session over the Palace Deal. Even though the CPM Parliamentary leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has been lured by the lobby, V.S.Achuthananthan, the leader of opposition remain stubborn and has alleged that two state ministers (Kunjalikutty and K.V.Thomas?) have vested interest in transfering the property to the Galfar group headed by Dr.P.Mohammed Ali of Galfar group Oman, winner of the Pravasi Bharathi award. KM had reported Kodiyeri's secret mission in the Gulf just a few week before the beginning of state assembly session. Kodiyeri, the CPM Parliamentary party leader, holds important position in deciding the party stand in the assembly. More
Antony Government Pretends Ignorance about Palace Ownership
Crucial Documents missing from Revenue Tourism Departments as Galfar group given the Hisotircal Palace Building for a Song
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Crucial documents establishing the Kerala Government's ownership of Kovalam Palace, the controversial property given by the state and central governments, on a platter to Galfar Mohammed Ali. According to an exclusive report in the leading Malayalam Daily Deshabhimani, the high level officials in the state tourism and revenue departments have played dirty role in eliminating such evidence. Tourism Minister K.V.Thomas is allegedly one of the interested parties in the hotel deal with the Galfar group. Full Report and More News Read the report in Malayalam
MRP Owner to report to the ROP by 10 A M Today
MUSCAT -June 28 2004 It is not only the workers, but a number of creditors who have supplied construction materials and other services to Muhammed Ruzaiki and Partners (MRP), a company that belongs to the direct brother of Galfar P.Mohammed Ali are running from pillar to post to recover the outstanding payment. While the company workers have been agitating over non payment of salary, the law enforcement authorities are tightening their grip over the company owners. According to the latest advice , the MRP officials will have to present themselves before the ROP at 10 am. Efforts are on to get rid of the problem by transferring its valuable assets to another company belonging to a leading business group. Creditors are frequenting the company premises as the celebrity brother is trying to protect him from further trouble. "Even though it is speculated that he tried to abscond , the company owner has returned to Muscat, and is asked to call each creditor individually and promise to return the outstanding credit. It is learned that the police visited the company premises in search of the owner, but was told that the owner was not in office. The company's PRO is advised to report to the ROP by today morning. More
Investigate state financial Institutions' Connection with Ashoka Hotel Deal Dr. P. Mohammed Ali's smart way to convert public institutions into private assets. Story of Indian School Al Ghubra.
Kunjalikutty, K V Thomas and other state ministers in a hurry?
KM Editorial June 22 2004 Latest move to hand over the precious Halcyon castle of Kovalam built by the Travancore Royal family in the 1930s to the Galfar Group appears to be part of a controversial multi crore corruption deal stuck by a group of politicians, NRI businessmen who act as their benami investors and a prominent BJP leader from Kerala.The state owned Ashoka Hotel and its surrounding areas measuring 65 acres of strategically important land was "sold" to the Galfar Group of Oman headed by prominent award winning NRK businessman Dr.P.Mohammed Ali for just Rs.43 crores! Any conservative estimate would place the real estate value of the property alone at much above the total transaction. As correctly stated by V.S.Achuthananthan, the opposition leader, the real value of the property exceeds Rs.400 crores. More
Hundreds of MRP employees in protest march as ROP prevents 400 agitated workers from staging jadha towards Galfar office
Agitated workers of Mohammed Ruzaikhi and Partners, a company owned and managed by a prominent Non Resident Keralite Businessman, are staging protest march against non payment and delay of salary. According to KM sources the Royal Oman Police have blocked 400 MRP Workers from staging a protest march, a normal happening in the company's recent history. MRP is a company affiliated to the family of Dr.P.Mohammed Ali, winner of this years Pravasi Bharathi Award. Workers marched towards the Galfar office in Ghala and were prevented in front of the gate. According to KM sources, Khalil, brother of Dr.P Mohammed Ali has promised to settle the matter by Sunday. The construction company has been facing severe liquidity crisis. Two years back an Andhra worker of the same company committed suicide, allegedly due to psychological pressure and stress...Watch this space.
Galfar Group's Dubious Ashoka Hotel Deal
State Government Pretends Ignorant, Crucial Documents missing from Revenue Tourism Departments
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Crucial documents establishing the Kerala Government's ownership of Kovalam Palace, the controversial property given by the state and central governments, on a platter to Galfar Mohammed Ali are missing from government records. According to an exclusive report in the leading Malayalam Daily Deshabhimani, the high level officials in the state tourism and revenue departments have played dirty role in eliminating such evidence. Tourism Minister K.V.Thomas is allegedly one of the interested parties in the hotel deal with the Galfar group. More News
Dubai-Muscat-Riyadh link of Kerala Politicians
Keralamonitor.com June 8, 2002.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - A leading Contractor approaches the branch manager of a public sector bank in Kerala and asks him to arrange fresh Five Hundred rupee notes worth Rs. 10 lakhs within one day. Without bothering to know the intricacies of withdrawing Fresh Five Hundred rupee notes exclusively by a regular customer , the manager arranges the money. Next day the businessman comes with an empty suitcase and arranges the five hundred rupee notes in it and walks away to an unknown destination. More
Kerala Monitor in News Again..Leading Malayalam Portal terms KM editor V.M.Sathish as "bold and fearless" journalist Full Report
ITDC employees protest march
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Friday, Mar 22, 2002 Hundreds of local residents and employees of India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) took part in a protest march by Janakeeya Pratirodha Samithi against privatisation of ITDC Kovalam Beach Resort.Inaugurating the march, Mr Neelalohitadasan Nadar, who represents the Kovalam Assembly constituency, said that moves to privatise the property would be prevented at any cost. (courtesy the Hindu)
