Thiruvananthapuram: V. Muraleedharan, Union Minister of State for External Affairs & Parliamentary Affairs, levelled serious allegations against Kerala government in connection with the MoU regarding deep sea fishing.
The Indian consulate in the US had reported that EMCC International was not a trustworthy company. Kerala signed the MoU with the company 4 months after the Centre gave a report in this regard, said V. Muraleedharan.
Fisheries Secretary Jyothilal had sent a letter to the Centre to know if EMCC International was a trustworthy company. The Indian consulate in New York inquired about the company and sent a response. This letter sent by the Indian consulate in New York had stated that EMCC International was not a trustworthy organization, said the Union Minister.
The Indian consulate in New York had responded to a letter seeking details of EMCC international on October 21, 2019. Despite trying, they were unable to collect any details of the company. The consulate said that the address provided by the company was a virtual address of a rented office and that the company could not be considered an establishment, said V. Muraleedharan.
After receiving all these information, Kerala signed the MoU with EMCC International on February 28, 2020. Which means that the Kerala government signed the MoU knowing that EMCC was only a registered company that was not functioning from a given address, V. Muraleedharan pointed out.
