Judicial Proble into Kovalam Hotel Deal Sought, Transfer all documents to Parliamentary Council, urges Kovalam Protection Council.
40 Crore deal for a property of 400 Crores
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - August 15 2004 All the legal documents pertaining to the dubious Kovalam Hotel deal should be immediately handed over to a Parliamentary Council followed by a thorough judicial inquiry into all aspects of the deal, demanded the Kovalam Palace Protection Council. Terming the open advertisement published by Dr.P.Mohammed Ali, Managing Director of the Oman based M-Far, an unknown associate company of the Galfar group, as misleading the council said that in the name of a hotel privatization, the NRI businessman is fraudulently claiming ownership of an entire stretch of Kovalam area in a strategic location as "his own empire." Even though the Kovalam Palace was not part of the deal, the NRI tycoon and his close friends used to live in Halcyon palace.
The state government should demand a judicial inquiry about Kovalam hotel deal, in the same pattern the Centaur Hotel deal is being investigated. The Centaur Hotel was sold at a throw away price by the former BJP Government to a party sympathizer and various political parties including the ruling Congress have criticized the deal. It may be recalled that Keralamonitor.com was the first media to report that the Kovalam hotel deal was not different from the Centaur Hotel deal.
The Council alleged that Dr.Mohammed Ali was misleading the public by giving an advertisement in all leading Malayalam dailies without revealing the fact that the transfer documents in the Kovalam Hotel deal is not yet ready or in his possession. The minutes of a special meeting convened by Amithabh Kanth, ITDC Managing Director and Tourism Secretary indicates that the transfer deeds should be made by 30 April 2003 with the necessary parliamentary approval. State tourism secretary G.Balakrishnan, KTDC MD Ilankavan and Kovalam Hotels M.D. S.K.Nair have signed this crucial minutes, said M.Vijayakumar, Patron of the Samithi.
According to him, even if the BJP is also staging public demonstrations against the Kovalam Palace deal, O.Rajagopal, former minister and state BJP leaders should express his opinion on the matter, especially about the demand for a judicial probe. It is believed that many politicians including Rajagopal have been "influenced" by the private party to finalise the deal at throw away price. KM sources revealed that the transaction was finalized in a hurry at least two months before, when the issue was getting hot. Terming the BJP protest against the Kovalam Hotel privatization as ridiculous, Vijayakumar said it was the decision of the BJP government that resulted in the current mess. On September 2, the Samithi will take a demonstration to the residence of state chief minister A.K.Antony. It seems that the state government is facing a major crisis as many ministers have accepted bribe for the deal. A prominent BJP leader is known to have carried "biscuits" when he returned from a foreign trip.
The Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways Shri T.R. Baalu meets a delegation of the Ministry of Road and Transportation, Government of Iran led by the Deputy Minister and Managing Director for Ports and Shipping Organisations Mr. Doniamali in New Delhi on July 7, 2004 (Wednesday) More
The Union Finance Minister Shri P. Chidambaram giving final touches to the General Budget 2004-05 in New Delhi on July 7, 2004 (Wednesday).
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.
The Oman based Galfar group has fraudulently claimed ownership of the royal palace, worth millions, following its ownership of the Ashoka Hotel Resort in a dubious privatization deal with the Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC). While experts value the Ashoka Hotel property at above Rs.400 crore, the Galfar group bought it for just Rs. 44 crores clearly by influencing the decision makers. The erstwhile royal family members have produced the sale deed of the land the Royals have purchased from the Quilon bishop in 1930 and papers showing that they had handed over the Halcyon Castle to the state government and not to any private entity.
These documents contradict the public statements made by the state ministers K.V.Thomas, T.M.Jacob and Mr.Kunjalikutty, close associates of the Galfar group, that there is no document to claim the state government ownership of the property. Obviously the ministers have made these false statements for public consumption. The Royals will meet state chief minister A.K. Antony and urge him again to preserve it as a monument in memory of Sethu Parvathi and her husband Rama Varma Valiyakoiythampuran. Former state chief minister P.K.Vasudevan Nair and other eminent people have already requested the state chief minister to preserve Kovalam Palace as a historical monument.
Various state government ministries have been making contradictory statements about the government ownership of the palace. CPI M leader V.S.Achuthananthan has alleged that two state ministers have a vested interest in transferring the palace, worth millions, to the Galfar group. KM was the first to report that the Ashoka Hotel Kovalam deal was as scandalous as the Centaur Hotel Bombay deal. The Galfar group has been claiming ownership of the palace, based on its Ashoka Hotel deal. Many prominent politicians, NRIs and businessmen are part of the dubious deal that cost the state exchequer dearly. In the name of privatization, the state and central governments have handed over a public property to one individual. In these circumstances, it is essential to conduct an overall probe into the privatization deal, the role of state ministers and the possible financing of the deal using state financial institutions.
Oman's Royal family has an image and reputation in India. Unfortunately this clean image is marred by such dubious deals entered into by a leading business group from Muscat supported by the Royal family of Sultan Qaboos bin Said.The Galfar group is already in some controversy about its managing director's control of a public community school. The group was in news for its alleged role in getting the former Indian Ambassador K.M.Meena transferred from Muscat. (KM News)
Orient Planet expands into North Africa through strategic partnership with Kalima PR
Riad Ben Fadhel, Managing Director, Kalima -Nidal Abou Zaki, Managing Director, Orient Planet.
Tie-up driven by vibrant business scenario in several countries of the North Africa region
July 3, 2004 Orient Planet, a dynamic and fast-growing public relations and marketing communications agency in the Middle East, has signed a strategic partnership with Kalima, a leading Tunisian PR and marketing communications company, to enter the North Africa market. Orient Planet, having achieved remarkable success in the Middle East region, has targeted North Africa for its expansion drive to tap the growing opportunities in countries like Tunisia, Algeria and Libya, by leveraging the local market expertise of Kalima, part of the Impact Group, a well-known and leading marketing and communications company in North Africa.
"Over the past three years, Orient Planet has emerged as one of the top corporate communications, Public Relations and image management companies in the Middle East, covering a region that extends from the UAE in the East to Morocco in the West," said Nidal Abou Zaki, Managing Director, Orient Planet. "We are now ready to make forays into the promising North African market. We have recently doubled our staff and hired French-speaking PR professionals, ahead of the expansion. We feel Orient Planet has great potential to service major corporations and multinationals in these new markets. Our experience in handling several top companies in the Middle East gives us an edge to service this developing region."
"The strategic partnership with Kalima provides us with a spring board for implementing our successful communications strategies in the emerging markets of North Africa," added Abou Zaki. "We are looking forward to working hand in hand with Kalima, one of the leading companies in North Africa with proven credentials and professional integrity. We are confident we will be able to successfully synergise our strengths to create a strong force in the marketing communications field to deliver a total communications solution to discerning clients in North Africa."
Riad Ben Fadhel, Managing Director, Kalima, said: "There is a new economic vibrancy in most countries of North Africa and we believe our tie-up with Orient Planet will create a dynamic new force in the field of marketing communications. Orient Planet has witnessed a meteoric rise in just three years and its achievements in the Middle East are mirrored in the impressive list of content clients. We are confident this performance will be repeated in North Africa, driven by our combined strengths."
"Kalima has been playing a dominant role in the North African markets for a long time. Our partnership with Orient Planet opens a new window for us to expand our operations to the Middle East," added Ben Fadhel. "This tie-up will definitely motivate us to raise our performance standards and ensure the success of this new venture."
Prevent 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.
The Kovalam Protection Council has said in a statement that the state Chief Minister A.K.Anthony gave them an assurance that he would take steps to protect the Kovalam palace. The CM said this after the council members submitted a request asking him to protect the palace as a historical monument. Ex-Chief Minister P.K.Vasudevan was leading the council members. Antony who has been maintaining a studied silence over the controversial deal with Galfar has said that no decision has been taken to sell the palace to any private individuals. The file relating to this has been sent to the Revenue-Law departments. Decision would be taken only after checking all details, he told the members of the council. The members of the council also demanded to pressurize the Central government into an enquiry into the sale of 2km of land by the sea to a private person in the name of I.T.D.C Hotel in Kovalam. Other than P.K.V, the other members of the request council included Ex-Speaker M.Vijayakumar, Dr. Neelalohithadasan Nadar MLA, Former M.P Vishwambharan, Palace Protection Council Chairman P.Gangadharan Nadar, Advocate P.Ramachandran Nair , General Convenor of Thiruvallom Shivarajan, Ambalathara Sreedharan Nair, Vamanapuram Prakash Kumar, Peyad Shashi, P.Rajendra Kumar. -Keralamonitor.com
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.
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 ndian 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
