Monday, May 27, 2013

ബോള്‍ഗാട്ടി ,ലുലു ഭൂമി കൈയേറ്റം ,

കേരളത്തിലെ /ഇന്ത്യയിലെ രാഷ്ട്രീയക്കാരുടെയും,ബിസിനെസ്സുകാരുടെയും,
സിനിമാക്കാരുടേയും സാദജനത്തിന്റെയും സകല അടുക്കള രഹസ്യവും ചര്‍ച്ച നടക്കാന്‍ സാധ്യത ഉള്ളതും ഇല്ലാത്തതും , തീരുമാനം എടുക്കാന്‍ സാധ്യത ഉള്ളതും ഇല്ലാത്തതും ആയ സകല വിഷയവും കൂടാതെ എവിടെ എങ്ങിനെ ഒക്കെ ഭൂമി കച്ചവടം/ഭൂമി കയ്യേറല്‍ നടത്താന്‍ സാധ്യത ഉള്ളത് ഇല്ലാത്തതു അങ്ങിനെ എന്ന് വേണ്ട സകലതും തലതാരിഴ കീറി പരിശോധികച്ച് ചര്‍ച്ച (തോജോവധം )നടത്തുന്ന മലയാള ചാനെല്‍ /പത്ര മാധ്യമങ്ങള്‍ എന്നിവര്‍ ലുലു ഭൂമി കയ്യേറല്‍ ,ബോള്‍ഗാട്ടി വിഷയം [ബോള്‍ഗാട്ടി വിഷയവും ലുലു വിഷയവും രണ്ട് ആണ് എന്ന് പോലും പലര്‍ക്കും ഇപ്പോഴും അറിഞ്ഞിട്ടില്ല എന്നു തോനുന്നു !!] എന്തുകൊണ്ട് ഇത്രയും നാള്‍ ആയി ഒരു വാര്‍ത്തപോലും/ചര്‍ച്ച പോലും ആക്കിയില്ല എന്നത് വളരെ അധികം ചിന്തിക്കേണ്ട വിഷയം ആണ് , എങ്ങിനെ വാര്‍ത്ത ആക്കും (?) പരസ്യ വരുമാനം കുറയും കേരളത്തിലെ/ലോകത്തിലെ വന്‍കിട കച്ചവടക്കാരെ വെറുപ്പിച്ചു എത്ര കാലം ഒരു ചാനലിനു /പത്രത്തിന് മുന്നോട്ടു പോകാന്‍ കഴിയും എന്നത് ആലോചിച്ചു കാണും ,നികേഷ് കുമാര്‍ യൂസഫ്‌ അലിയുമായി ഒരു അഭിമുഖം നടത്തിയത് അതിനു ശേഷം ആണ് എല്ലാ വരും ഇത് വാര്‍ത്ത ആക്കാന്‍ തുടങ്ങിയത് കൂടാതെ സീ പി ഐ എം ഇതില്‍ ഒരു ഭാഗവക്ക് ആയതിനു ശേഷം എന്നും പറയാം !

ഹിന്ദു ദിനപത്രത്തില്‍ കൊച്ചി റിപ്പോര്‍ട്ടര്‍[ http://goo.gl/JpnL2 , http://goo.gl/h0WMF ] വാര്‍ത്ത കൊടുത്തു അത് വിവാദം ആയി അതിനെതിരെ യൂസഫ്‌ അലി പ്രതികരിച്ചു വീണ്ടും ഹിന്ദു അതിനെ കുറിച്ച് വിശദമായി അന്വേഷിച്ചു സബ് എഡിറ്റര്‍ തന്നെ എഴുതി , എഴുതിയതില്‍ വസ്തുത ഉണ്ട് എന്നും പറഞ്ഞു അങ്ങിനെ ആണ് ഈ വാര്‍ത്ത‍ പുറം ലോകം അറിയുന്നത് !

തുടര്‍ന്ന് സൈബര്‍ മാധ്യമ രംഗത്ത് പ്രവര്‍ത്തിക്കുന്ന മറുനാടന്‍ മലയാളിആണ് ഇത് കുറച്ചു കൂടി ശ്രദ്ധ നേടി എടുക്കാന്‍ വേണ്ടി പൊതു രംഗത്ത്‌ ചര്‍ച്ച നടത്തിയത് ,ഇപ്പോഴും മലയാള മാധ്യമങ്ങള്‍ /ചാനലുകള്‍ ഇതിലെ വസ്തുത അന്വേഷിച്ചു കണ്ടുപിടിക്കാന്‍ ശ്രമിക്കാത്തത് എന്ത് കൊണ്ടാണ് എന്ന് ആര്‍ക്കേലും സംശയം തോനിയാല്‍ നിങ്ങളെ കുറ്റം പറയാന്‍ കഴിയില്ല, കേരളത്തിലെ മാധ്യമ പുലികള്‍ ആരേലും വിചാരിച്ചാല്‍ കണ്ടുപിടിക്കാന്‍ കഴിയാത്ത കാര്യം ഒന്നും അല്ലാലോ ഇത് അന്വേഷണാത്മക പത്രപ്രവര്‍ത്തനം നടത്തുന്ന പലരും കൊച്ചിയില്‍ തന്നെ ഉണ്ടല്ലോ എന്താ ഒന്ന് നോക്കിയാല്‍ !!
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The Cochin Port Trust’s (CPT) agreement to lease out 26 acres of prime land at Bolgatty island to a private developer is fraught with infirmities that can adversely impact the port’s absolute rights over the land. The agreement allows the developer to pledge the leased land with banks to raise money.
The lease deed signed between the CPT and the developer on July 26, 2011 allows the corporate house to seek loans or “create charge” against the property from commercial banks and Central financial institutions.
“The lessee (the developer) shall not create any charge in respect of the lease hold interest relating to the property described in the schedule hereto vested in it as well as the building constructed on the same without the prior written consent of the lessor, it being clearly understood that such consent will not be granted, except in the case of charges in favour of commercial banks and State and Central financial institutions,” says Section 3 (e) of the lease document.
Lawyers point out that this clause in the agreement can lead to loss of land for the port if the developer fails to repay its loans. Since the land can be used as collateral security for loans, it is open to the banks to attach this piece of property if the developer fails to repay the loan. The 26 acres of waterfront property off Marine Drive cost about Rs.500 crore in the open market. The port leased out this property to the developer for Rs.71 crore.
Section 100 of the Transfer of Properties Act speaks about charge on immovable properties.
According to the Act, “where immovable property of one person is by act of parties or operation of law made security for the payment of money to another, and the transaction does not amount to a mortgage, the latter person is said to have a charge on the property and all the provisions hereinbefore contained which apply to a simple mortgage shall, so far as may be, apply to such charge.”
Sub-leasing
Interestingly, the agreement also permits the unauthorised sub-leasing of the land or buildings by the developer to third parties without even informing the port. The CPT has offered to make post facto approvals of such unauthorised deals by the developer.
According to Section 3 (b) of the deed, “in the event of the lessee effecting any such sub-lease without the prior consent in writing of the lessor for the same, it shall be open to the lessor to approve of the same if a request therefore is made, provided, the lessee pays the lessor during the subsistence of such unauthorised assignment, transfer or sub-lease additional amount as detailed below.”
In case of default of the measly Rs.1.05 lakh annual lease by the developer, the CPT cannot even recover the amount as it has not insisted on any security deposit though the lease deed states that the rent dues shall be recovered from the deposit.
Section 1 (c) of the deed refers to a security deposit, but shockingly it says Rs. nil.
The lessee “has deposited with the lessor as security deposit towards the rent an amount of Rs. nil (Rupees nil)... if the lessee defaults in payment of the rent at anytime, necessary adjustments may be made by the lessor from the amount in deposit and the lessee shall make up the corresponding deficit in the deposit.” 
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/developer-can-pledge-kochi-ports-land-for-loans-says-lease-deed/article4624247.ece
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A real estate development project of 572 apartments worth over Rs.1,000 crore on the Bolgatty island off Marine Drive is awaiting final environmental clearances. This is part of a Rs.380-crore investment deal to build a convention centre and a hotel. But the real owner of the land, the Cochin Port Trust (CPT), gets just Rs.71 crore for handing over the land on a renewable 30-year lease.
The private developer proposes to build 572 “service apartments” on 10.9 hectares (a hectare is 2.47 acres) of the leased land. Serviced apartments normally mean fully furnished apartments with cleaning, laundry and other services on long-term rent to regular or occasional clients. Here, the lease agreement between the CPT and the developer refers to the possibilities of “assignment, transfer or sublease” of the land or the buildings to be constructed by the developer.
Agreement
The agreement merely talks of an unspecified sub-lease levy to be paid to the CPT for the land and buildings, which the developer is allowed to sub-lease or transfer. And it is silent on whether the developer can do outright sale of these “serviced apartments’’. While renewal of the land lease is written into the agreement, it does not mention profit-sharing by the developer with CPT or any share of the cost of apartments to be “transferred or sub-leased”. The CPT refused to respond to The Hindu’s queries.
A new three-bed room apartment in upcoming projects at Marine Drive costs between Rs.1.5 crore to Rs.2 crore. So, the 572 apartments will be worth over Rs.1,000 crore as they are coming up on land reclaimed from Vembanad Lake, an ecologically fragile wetland (Ramsar site).
While justifying the reclamation during 2004-05, the CPT had contended that no Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance was required as the total project cost was less than Rs.5 crore. Now, the developer is investing Rs.380 crore to build a 217-room hotel, a 3,400-seat convention centre, a 1,046-seat restaurant and a health club, apart from 572 apartments.
Market price for land
The CPT had initially sought clearance for the reclamation of land from Vembanad Lake. And permission was given only for port-related activities.
But the CPT is now handing over 26 acres of waterfront land on the Bolgatty island for Rs.71 crore and an annual lease rent of Rs.1.05 lakh with a 30 per cent rent hike every five years. Land can be bought at Bolgatty in the open market only for Rs.20 lakh a cent (one-hundredth of an acre), which will put the market price for the land at Rs.20 crore an acre and thus the total land cost for the project at about Rs.500 crore.
The Kerala State Coastal Zone Management Authority had issued CRZ clearance to the project even while its subcommittee had listed out the CRZ violations.
Jacob Thomas, the former CPT chairman, had placed a proposal before the Board of Trustees for the year 2004-05 for dredging and filling of land for port area at Bolgatty as “more land had to be provided to the Dubai Ports International for ICTT at Vallarpadam than earlier contemplated at the time of the preparation of the Port-based Special Economic Zone.”
Land reclamation
Land reclamation was required “to provide additional land area adjacent to Vallarpadam for the future development plans of CPT,’’ Mr. Thomas wrote.
Later, in 2009, N. Ramachandran, the then CPT chairman sought permission from the Union Ministry of Shipping “for long-term leasing of certain plots of land which are not useful for port-related activities.” He had listed seven sites owned by the port and not required for port-related activities. Some of these plots of land were situated away from the port and the Wellingdon Island.
In response to CPT chairman’s letter for “leasing out certain tracts of land, which are far away from the Port for a period of 90 years so that Cochin may not need budgetary support for capital dredging for deepening and widening of the approach channel and berth basin of the ICTT,” R. Srinivasa Naik, Director (Ports Operations) gave permission to lease out these plots for 30 years.
But what was leased out was the land reclaimed solely to expand the port. 

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/port-gets-just-rs71-crore-for-a-deal-to-build-flats-worth-rs1000-crore/article4611223.ece