Kerala opposition demands judicial probe into castle sale

The Left Democratic Front in Kerala has renewed its call for a relook into the issue of the sale of the Halcyon Castle in Kovalam to the M Far group of hotels along with the five-star hotel property owned by the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC).

The castle, built by the royalty of erstwhile Travancore, was bundled off by the ITDC when it divested its Kovalam hotel property as per the former National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government's policy of disinvesting in some public sector undertakings.

Ever since then, there has been a hue and cry in Kerala, with several groups arguing that the heritage castle should never have been considered a part of the hotel property and that the Halcyon Castle should be taken over by the state government and preserved as a historical monument.

Opposition leader V.S. Achuthanandan yesterday called for a judicial inquiry into the entire issue, stating that the current inquiry being done by a team of officials deputed by the previous A.K. Antony government was totally inadequate.

"The hotel property along with some 65 acres of prime land on Kovalam beach which is worth about Rs4 billion has been sold to a private party for a mere Rs400 million. Only a judicial inquiry can bring out the true facts of the matter. It is also pertinent that the land is of strategic importance to the country", Achuthanandan said.

Interestingly, the Bharatiya Janata Party in Kerala, political foe of the Communist Party of India Marxist, has also been forceful in demanding that the sale of the castle be annulled.

The owners of the hotel, however, have averred that they had bought the entire property including the Halcyon Castle and that they were the rightful owners of the total property.