Lokayukta smells corruption in Miyawaki tenders, asks for files from Tourism department

TRIVANDRUM: The Lokayukta has called the tourism director to submit all files regarding the tender applications given for establishing the Miyawaki forest initiative in the state. A division bench headed by Lokayukta justice Cyriac Joseph gave this instruction. A petition was filed in Lokayukta by an Ernakulam native stating rampant corruption while giving tender for adopting Miyawaki maze methods in the state. The Kerala government has allotted 5.8 crores for this project, but breaking all norms of merit, the tender was given to a private firm costing the government a loss of 1.7 crores.

The petition also mentions the sudden volte-face from the then tourism minister, who in 2020 rejected plans for adopting the Miyawaki method. Just in a span of two months, the minister advocated in favor of the project. According to the E-tender guidelines, the tender should be given to someone who has garnered at least three years of experience doing Miyawaki projects. But the tender landed on a private consortium that never had know-how about the Miyawaki method. The petition says that the government has allotted 20 cents and 3.70 crores for this private company to work on the famed Miyawaki project.