Kerala minister denies corruption at Cochin airport

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/47745.html
Thiruvananthapuram, April 4 Denying charges made on the basis of a book, 'In Spite of the Gods', Kerala Fisheries Minister S. Sarma Wednesday said he had no role in awarding a tender to construct the runway of the Cochin International Airport.
'I looked into the records and the board meeting of the CIAL (Cochin International Airport Ltd) and I have found that the tender to construct the runway of the airport was made on March 10, 1995 and then the board was chaired by then chief minister K. Karunakaran and present Congress leader and legislator K.V. Thomas,' Sarma told reporters.
The allegation surfaced after a local daily reported the matter on the basis of a chapter from 'In Spite of the Gods: the Strange Rise of India', by Edward Lose, who was South Asia bureau chief of Financial Times during 2001-05.
The author spoke to then CIAL managing director V.J. Kurian, a senior bureaucrat who is presently the chairman of the Spices Board.
The book, published this year, says that Kurian said a very influential politician had approached him and asked him to see that the contract for building the runway be handed over to a particular contractor and if he does so he would be given Rs.10 million. Kurian, however, did not name the politician.
'I was not on the board when the decision on the contract was made. Moreover, I don't come under the category of a very influential politician,' said Sarma.
When contacted, Kurian said: 'I am yet to see the book and after reading it, I will think if I have to react.'
Regarding the report of a minister getting angry with him for not giving 200 people jobs at the airport, Sarma said that at that time he was a legislator from the area of the airport.
'Isn't it only natural for a politician to seek jobs for people who vacated their land for the airport? I had told the officials involved in hiring employees that if two candidates have the same qualifications, then preference should be given to those who surrendered their land for the project,' said Sarma.
The CIAL became a reality when Karunakaran was chief minister during 1992-1995 and it became operational in 1999 when E.K. Nayanar ruled the state (1996-2001).
CIAL is the first airport in the country to come up in public-private partnership.
Meanwhile, sources said Sarma was set to send a note to the state's chief secretary against the bureaucrat.
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