Kerala minister denies corruption at Cochin airport

Thiruvananthapuram: Denying charges made on the basis of a book, 'In Spite of the Gods', Kerala Fisheries Minister S. Sarma Wednesday said he had no role in awarding a tender to construct the runway of the Cochin International Airport.
'I looked into the records and the board meeting of the CIAL (Cochin International Airport Ltd) and I have found that the tender to construct the runway of the airport was made on March 10, 1995 and then the board was chaired by then chief minister K. Karunakaran and present Congress leader and legislator K.V. Thomas,' Sarma told reporters.
The allegation surfaced after a local daily reported the matter on the basis of a chapter from 'In Spite of the Gods: the Strange Rise of India', by Edward Lose, who was South Asia bureau chief of Financial Times during 2001-05.
The author spoke to then CIAL managing director V.J. Kurian, a senior bureaucrat who is presently the chairman of the Spices Board.
The book, published this year, says that Kurian said a very influential politician had approached him and asked him to see that the contract for building the runway be handed over to a particular contractor and if he does so he would be given Rs.10 million. Kurian, however, did not name the politician.
04/04/07 Indo Asian News Service/Earthtimes.org

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Categories: Airports Apr 2007