Kannur: The Ministry of Petroleum and Gas has said it will look into the controversial petrol pump allotment in Kannur, wherein ADM Naveen Babu (55), who died by suicide, was accused of taking a bribe from a pump owner to issue a no objection certificate (NoC) for the fuel outlet. The ministry, which will probe whether there were discrepancies in obtaining various permissions for the pump, took up the matter on the recommendation of Union Minister Suresh Gopi.
Yesterday, a complaint filed by T V Prasanth, the petrol pump owner, surfaced, in which he alleged Naveen Babu delayed his application for the NoC for a petrol pump at Neduvaloor, Sreekantapuram. “On October 6, he summoned me to his residence and demanded a bribe of Rs 1 lakh. He told me that If I didn't give the money, he wouldn't issue the NoC and would create issues in the business run by my friends and relatives. I gave him Rs 98,500 in his quarters at Pallikkunnu, and I received the NoC on October 8,” the complaint said. Prasanthan added in the complaint that the incident caused him emotional and financial stress and that no other person should face this injustice.
In the farewell meeting held on Monday, Kannur District Panchayat President P P Divya said she knew how the NoC was issued and that she would divulge more details in two days. Naveen Babu was found dead in his residence the next day.
The opposition has been raising a furore over how Prasanth, an electrician at Pariyaram Government Medical College, had enough money to start a petrol pump.
Meanwhile, the All Kerala Federation of Petroleum Traders wrote to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan demanding a Vigilance inquiry into the NoCs issued to petrol pumps in Kerala in the last seven years. The letter pointed out the huge corruption involved in issuing NoCs to pumps. It also stated corruption increased after the power to issue NoCs was given to Additional District Magistrates (ADMs). However, the federation said they understood that Naveen Babu was an honest officer.
"There is a blatant violation of rules in issuing NoCs to pumps in Kerala. From 2016 to 2024, 700 fuel outlets have been granted NoC in the state. There are over 400 cases of construction not starting even after receiving NoC and cases where the certificate has not been issued," stated the letter.
