Thiruvananthapuram: Administrative Reforms Committee chairman V. S. Achuthanandan and former KPCC president V. M. Sudheeran have urged Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to ensure that Kovalam palace aka Halcyon Castle continued to be in the possession of the state government. Their demand comes in the wake of the attorney-general advising the government not to go in appeal against a high court verdict which struck down the ordinance taking over the palace.
Mr Sudheeran, in a letter to Mr Vijayan and revenue minister E. Chandrasekharan, said the heritage property should not go into the hands of private people. “The advice by the earlier attorney-general and the current advocate-general is against the interests of the people,” he said. “Their advice is not the last word,” he said and demanded that the LDF government should seek the opinion of legal experts to maintain the status quo. Mr Achuthanandan, in a letter to the chief minister, asked the government to file a civil case to stop the takeover of the palace by the hotel group.
“There have been several controversies regarding its sale,” he said and recalled that during the tenure of Nivedita P. Haran as land revenue commissioner in 2011, she had highlighted the controversies regarding the ownership and sale of the palace. "The Vigilance cases were withdrawn and the UDF government accepted defeat in the case. In 2013, 16 hectares of land attached to the palace was given for mutation," said Mr Achuthanandan. He also urged the government to order an inquiry into the case to bring out the shady dealings.
The previous UDF government had issued an ordinance to take over the palace, known as Halcyon Castle. NRI businessman Ravi Pillai had claimed ownership of the palace. But the High Court struck down the ordinance. The advocate-general advised against appealing to the Supreme Court fearing an adverse verdict. The attorney-general had suggested an out-of-court settlement. He said the government can keep the palace and allow the private party to operate the castle.
