Opposition Congress in Kerala has raised corruption allegations over a deal being initiated by the Kerala government with a US-based firm for developing deep-sea fishing trawlers.
Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala alleged that it was an attempt to allow the US firm to exploit the fishing resources of the sea off the Kerala coast.
Kerala Fisheries Minister Mery Kutty Amma has denied the allegations.
The row is over a recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the US-based EMCC International, run by a Malayali, with the Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC).
The US firm proposed to build 400 trawlers with the help of KSINC as part of the Rs 2950 crore project.
Fisheries Minister J Mercy Kutty said that no agreement has been signed by the government to allow fishing by the US firm.
The firm's representatives told that the project was only at a proposal stage and it was only for building trawlers.
Published 19 February 2021, 14:18 IST