THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The vigilance Court here has turned down the plea for separate investigations into the alleged corruption in the purchase of equipment for pollution control project in Travancore Titanium Products Ltd, but ordered that fresh arguments raised by the plaintiff in the case should be included in the purview of the ongoing Vigilance probe. Judge P K Haneefa has also taken strong exception to the snail’s pace at which the Vigilance probe is moving for the past five years, even when the corruption charges remains grave. The order was passed in a petition filed by Jayan, a former employee of TTP to investigate the role of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala, apart from then Industries Minister V K Ibrahim Kunju in the light of disclosures made by disgruntled Congress leader and former Health Minister K K Ramachandran. The court observed that already two investigations had been initiated in the corruption case and hence there was no need for another one. If the probe agency is unwilling to go into the fresh points raised by the plaintiff, the latter is free to approach the court again, the judge maintained. The crux of the case is that Rs 85 crore worth German machinery was imported as part of a controversial Rs 286 crore Pollution Abatement Project, but was forced to be dumped when an indigenous project was successfully implemented at a mere Rs 34 crore in that place.The petitioner’s argument is that the earlier project with an inflated outlay was a dubious means for corruption. Moreover, imported machineries valued at Rs 85 crore are rusting on the TTP premises, it is pointed out.
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