The Latin Church in Kerala has lashed out at the state government over the scrapped deal with US-based EMCC International for deep sea fishing and research, stating that the Fisheries and Industries Departments made serious mistakes and that they would have to take responsibility for the issue, instead of blaming bureaucrats.
Bishop Joseph Kariyil of the Cochin Diocese said that he didn’t believe that the Chief Minister was kept in the loop and that the actions of departments concerned were condemnable. The bishop was speaking to the media after a meeting of the Kerala Regional Catholic Council (KRLCC) in Kochi on March 7.
“The CM might have relied on the departments to act responsibly. However it was not for them to sign the pact without studying the issues properly,” the bishop said, the Times of India reported.
The controversy relates to two Memorandum of Understandings signed with EMCC International India, one by the Kerala Shipping Inland Navigation Corporation Limited (KSINC) and one by the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation Limited (KSIDC). The one by KSIDC was signed in February 2020 while the one with KSINC was signed in February 2021.
The EMCC International, according to the MoUs, will invest Rs 5,324 crore in fisheries research and development for upgrading and promoting the deep sea fishing industry in Kerala.
The government cancelled the MoUs signed with KSINC after the opposition raised allegations of corruption in the deals and also highlighted the concerns of the fishing community, who have warned that foreign trawlers would impact fishermen and lead to unscientific deep fishing that could adversely affect the environment.
“The evidence in my possession or in the hands of opposition leader (Ramesh Chennithala) is a private matter and it’s up to us to decide on when to bring it out. The deal was something that affects everyone, so why didn’t (the government) furnish proof and clear their names, instead of kicking the ball to the opposition’s court, demanding evidence from them,” media reports quoted the bishop as saying.