THELIGHTOFANDAMANS: Cabinet Approval Not Sought for Viper Project

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Cabinet Approval Not Sought for Viper Project

LOA Vol 36 - Issue - 02 - 15 Oct 2012

Cabinet Approval Not Sought for Viper Project

By Staff Reporter

On 28 March 2011, before the Viper Yacht Marina and 30-room accommodation agreement was signed, there existed an office memorandum issued by the Ministry of Finance, which categorically stated that approval of Union Cabinet for sale or long term lease of land belonging to the Government is required. This Order amends the Office Memorandum dated 25 June 2010 reiterating the provisions of Rules 28 and 278 of GFR 2005, which makes express approval of Finance Ministry essential for sale, lease of Govt assets or resources and makes the approval of the Cabinet in each case of sale or long lease of land mandatory.

In the Viper Project, the ANI Admn is learnt to have not sought the approval of the Cabinet and has ignored the Memorandum and given the land for long lease to the Reacon-PMM Marina consortium, in clear violation of the General Finance Rules.

In the Office Memorandum issued by the Ministry with the approval of the Finance Secretary, it clearly states that instances of violations have come to the notice of the government where land in possession and control of the government is sought to be alienated through means such as sale, lease and that it has been observed that the value of the land has increased tremendously, especially during last one or two decades. In this context, Cabinet Secretariat has informed that a policy with regard to transfer or alienation of land held by the Government or statutory authorities etc is being framed by the Government and that the Prime Minister has approved that in the meanwhile all the Ministries/Departments would seek specific approval of the Cabinet in each case of sale or long term lease of land belonging to the Government.

In a correspondence to the PPP Division of the Consultant, Satish Mathur, Secretary Tourism had clearly mentioned that the proposal does not attract the provisions of Policy on PPP mode and had sought them to ignore it.

However, overlooking the approval of Cabinet is in clear violation apart from various other breaches by ANI Admn in the execution of the Yacht Marina Project in Viper Island.

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About The Light of Andamans

The Light of Andamans’ was born out of the zeal and determination to fight against the suffocating Kafkaesque atmosphere on the society that existed even after 30 years of Independence under bureaucratic rule. It was a hangover of the ‘Raj’that extended much too long in the Islands.

The Light of Andamans’ was started in 1975. The paper had always been a crusader, taking up the causes that no other newspaper would touch. In doing so, it very often stepped on the toes of the authorities and had to face persecution in the form of denial of advertisements and numerous court cases against it. For a small stint, the publication came to a halt in 2003.

Gezira Publications Private Limited took over the paper in the year 2005 and transferred the title in a bid to revive the second oldest newsmagazine from extinction and also to carry forward the mission.

The Newsmagazine, under the new management, has undergone a sea change both in form and content. It turned into a full-fledged tabloid with 10 pages with plenty of photographs making both pleasing to the eyes and soothing for the mind. “It has acquired a position where it influences the policies in vital matters concerning the development of the islands, protection of aboriginal tribes and addressing the problems of the disadvantaged groups. The newsmagazine is known and appreciated for its bold, free, fair and balanced reporting.”

Late Govinda Raju and his team worked very hard to rebuild the reputation, goodwill and a healthy new image of the newsmagazine brick by brick. After the demise of Mr Raju in 2010, the magazine is now being edited by Zubair Ahmed and published by Basudev Dass. The newsmagazine continues its mission of highlighting policy issues pertaining to the Islands.