Kejriwal's allegation charges against me are 'baseless': Vasan

Shipping minister GK Vasan on Monday termed Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal's allegations against him on the Kandla Port land scam as "baseless" and pointed out that he was not in charge of the ministry when the alleged irregularities surfaced in 2008.

Shipping minister GK Vasan on Monday termed Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal's allegations against him on the Kandla Port land scam as "baseless" and pointed out that he was not in charge of the ministry when the alleged irregularities surfaced in 2008.

Vasan also clarified that a CBI inquiry into 17 allegations, which were made in a PIL before the Delhi high court, have found no substantial evidence to investigate with regard to 14 of them.

Regular departmental action was recommended with regard to the remaining three charges, the minister said.

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"Allegation regarding irregularities in Kandla Port Trust Lease of Land case are totally baseless and there is no truth in it. When the report by CVO of the Port Trust was originally given in 2008, I was not the Minister of Shipping," he told reporters in New Delhi.

Quoting media reports, Kejriwal had on Sunday alleged that Vasan was involved in irregularities in the issue.

Vasan said the Kandla Port is in possession of more than 2,20,000 acres of land and out of these, 16,112 acres of land was leased out to salt manufacturing industries in 1960 to 30 years by the Port authorities.

"The CVO in his report in 2008 alleged that few parties were in possession of large chunk of land and that the leases have been given on nomination basis at very low rates," the minister said.

Noting that the entire issue of lease is sub-judice since September, 2009, he said the CBI has investigated into the case and has not found any criminality in these allegations.

Vasan also noted that after he became minister, he fixed the auction rate as Rs 13,570 per acre per annum as against the existing Rs 144 per acre per annum.