Houses constructed under LIFE Mission
Thrissur: The ongoing investigation into the LIFE Mission bribery scam, along with subsequent legal hurdles, has resulted in 140 flats constructed in Wadakkanchery being left in an abandoned state.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has included these flats as a mainour in the LIFE Mission case, leaving the 140 beneficiaries in the dark.
Santhosh Eapen, the Managing Director of Unitac, who was arrested for allegedly paying a bribe to secure the construction contract, was recently released on bail. Meanwhile, M Sivasankar, the former principal secretary to the Kerala Chief Minister, remains in jail after Eapen revealed to the ED that he paid a bribe of Rs 4 crore to obtain the construction contract.
The future of the project faced another setback after Chief Minister's office came under the scanner of the investigation. Further, Kerala High Court remarked observed that Sivasankar had influence over Kerala CM and CPM.
In 2019, UAE-based Red Crescent signed an agreement with LIFE Mission to construct housing complexes on 2.18 acres of land at Charalparambu in Wadakkanchery.
Later, the construction contract was awarded to Unitac Builders and Sane Ventures. The construction started with the allocation of Rs 19 crores by the Red Crescent.
The scam came out after Sivasankar was arrested on February 14, 2023, for allegedly violating Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) in the LIFE Mission project.
After the CBI registered a case, the construction company withdrew from the contract and construction works stalled. It was revealed that Unitac builders gave kickbacks to Sivasankar and the Consul General of the UAE to bag the contract.
As a result, the housing complex and nearby amenities in Wadakkanchery have been left unattended for the past three years. In December 2022, LDF MLA Xavier Chittilappilly raised the issue in the state assembly, a few months after Anil Akkara MLA first drew public attention to the alleged scam in Wadakkancherry and demanded the resumption of construction works. Despite assurances from Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the project remains suspended.
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