The Congress-led UDF Government in Kerala on Wednesday began scouting for scandals from the files of the previous LDF government by ordering a vigilance probe into the allocation of revenue land to former chief minister V S Achuthanandan's relative. The decision,taken in the last lap of the Left government,could not be implemented due to the intervention of the Election Commission,which took notice of the protest raised by the Congress. After the Cabinet meeting,Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the government had annulled the entire procedures that led to the allotment of the land. The preliminary probe by the revenue department had revealed violation of rules. Chandy had earlier alleged that VS had taken out of turn interest to allot 2.33 acres of land for his distant relative T K Soman,an ex-serviceman,in Kasargode district. It was alleged that the government had waived the condition that the given land should not be alienated for 25 years from the day of allotment. Soman,a native of Alappuzha,had applied for land in 1977 as part of a then prevailing land distribution scheme for ex-servicemen. Although land was sanctioned for allocation,he could not pay the required amount to take claim over it. After Achuthanandan became the chief minister,Soman dust off the old petition. Chandy said the land distribution scheme for ex-servicemen had expired years back. Even the government officials of the day could not recall the scheme under which it was allotted to Achuthanandan's relative below the market rate,he said. But VS had refuted the charges raised by the Congress,saying that the land was given as per the regulations. The practice had begun in 1977 when A K Antony had been the chief minister. There was nothing illegal as alleged by the Congress,he said. However,what came handy for the Congress was the report submitted by the Kasargode district collector that land largesse to Achuthanandan's relative was a clear violation of regulations and procedures.
