Land Grab Case: Final Probe Report Against Kerala Transport Minister Thomas Chandy Submitted

Thiruvananthapuram: District Collector of Alappuzha TV Anupama has submitted the final report to the government into alleged land encroachment charges against state transport Minister Thomas Chandy.

Sources said the report was submitted to the revenue secretary on Saturday night and it states that the resort owned by Chandy does encroach upon the Marthandam Lake.

Satellite imagery of the lake before and after the resort was constructed and revenue records have been used for the probe. Earlier, the collector had submitted an interim report, which too confirmed the encroachment.

Chandy has been under attack from the Congress-led UDF Opposition and BJP ever since the allegations surfaced some time back. He has been accused of leveling a large section of the lake to construct a parking lot for the resort.

A businessman-turned-politician, he had rejected the charge. Both Opposition UDF and BJP on Sunday reiterated their demand on Sunday for the resignation of Chandy.

Congress led UDF Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala demanded that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan sack Chandy if the latter refused to quit of his own volition.

“As per information that has come out in the media, there have been encroachments have taken place in construction of a parking area for 'Lake Palace' resort in Kuttanad owned by Chandy and also violation of rules in filling Marthadam backwaters," he said.

Taking a dig at the LDF, BJP state president Kummanom Rajasekharan said though the Left 'waxes eloquent' on taking action against corruption, they were doing nothing in reality.

The BJP leader also alleged that the government was protecting Chandy even after the land grab charges surfaced. The minister had denied the charges and said in the assembly he would quit public life if the charges are proved right.

Chandy, representing Kuttand in the assembly, is the NCP nominee in the CPI(M)-led LDF ministry. He became a minister in April following resignation of A K Saseendran, also from NCP, after a purported audio clip of him speaking in sexual undertones to undertones to a woman emerged.