Thiruvananthapuram: The judicial commission constituted to probe the alleged irregularities in the Vizhinjam port agreement could not reach any final conclusion during its sitting here on Tuesday as there is no clarity on its terms of reference (ToR) . The commission headed by Justice (Rtd) C.N. Ramachandran Nair had written to the government seeking clarity, but there was no reply. The sitting of the commission is scheduled again in Kochi on June 4 and 5 before it submits its final report in the first week of July.
The LDF government had appointed the commission on May 31, 2017 to probe the irregularities alleged in the deal signed between the previous UDF government and Adani Group to develop an international seaport at Vizhinjam.
The tenure of the commission which has Mr K. Mohandas, former union secretary for shipping, and Mr P.J. Mathew, a former Indian Audit and Accounts Service officer as members is scheduled to end in July. The commission had asked the government whether it could presume that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on the Vizhinjam project was correct and whether inquiry could be conducted on its basis.
It also asked whether it could look into the authenticity of the CAG report as part of the inquiry and urged the government to detail the hierarchy of the decision-makers. Many who appeared before the commission, including former chief minister Oommen Chandy, have questioned the very accuracy of the CAG report. The commission chairman, during Tuesday’s sitting, noted that the panel continued to be “circumscribed'” by the ToR which “'presumed” that the report of the CAG on the deal was correct. The commission observed that any person who has grievances concerning the ToR can approach the courts. The CAG report had pointed out the unfav-ourable conditions in the concession agreement of the project had gone against the interests of the state and to the advantage of Adani Ports. The government had asked the commission to find out the culprits who caused losses to the state.
