LDF govt volte face on deep sea fishing project, probe ordered

After having tied itself in knot after knot on the controversial deep sea fishing project, the LDF government was forced to announce cancellation of the MoU entered into between a state government entity and the American company EMCC.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who until the last moment defended the Kerala government in the controversy, saying it has nothing to do with the deal, on Sunday ordered cancellation of all the agreements related to the deal, including allocation of four acre land for the local company that was supposed to implement the project.

The volte face was forced by opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala’s release of further evidence of the involvement of both the CM and his colleagues — fisheries minister Mercykuttyamma and industries minister EP Jayarajan — in the negotiation and finalisation of the proposal.

During a press meet on Saturday, Pinarayi Vijayan had flatly denied that there was any MoU signed between the company and any government department or any public sector entity for the deep sea fishing project, which ran counter to the provisions of the state’s fisheries policy against deep sea fishing by trawlers.

The fisheries minister went to the extent of alleging the controversy is the result of a conspiracy between Ramesh Chennithala and the representatives of the company as the opposition leader produced documents signed in the deal, along with photographs of the minister meeting the company officials.