Pinarayi And SNC LAVLIN
KSEB contract for SNC-Lavalin
Malabar Cancer Centre or kick-back?
By K Vijayachandran
The renovation and augmentation (R&A) programme at Pallivasal,
Sengulam and Panniar hydel power stations (aggregate capacity 115 MW)
ordered by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) in 1996, when the
present Secretary of the Kerala CPI (M) was Power Minister of the State,
has turned controversial now, with the CA&AG taking up a performance
audit of the programme, which was completed in 2001.
Brief history of the case: An agreement was signed by the KSEB with
the Canadian project consulting company, SNC Lavalin (SNC-L), in
February 1996 for the supply of project equipment and related services
under Canadian credit. Within a few months, the Left Democratic Front
(LDF) came to power and the new Power Minister took the initiative in renegotiating
the price and other terms and conditions of the contract and
also visited Canada twice for discussions in this regard, the first along
with KSEB officials and the second time in the company of his Chief
Minister, before finally awarding the contract. This much is generally
known to the public at large. However the details now bought out by the
CA&AG through its performance audit are politically damaging for the
Left in general and the CPI (M) in particular.
Facts as I know personally: As a member of the Steering Committee for
Power, constituted by the Kerala State Planning Board in 1996 for
preparing the Ninth Plan, I had the opportunity to study this R&A
programme of the KSEB in some detail, along with Mr Sambamurthy (ex-
Chairman, CEA), who was, at that time, serving as Member (Energy) of
the Planning Board. The three power stations in the Periyar river basin,
with a total of 12 generating machines in the capacity range of 5 to 15
Mw and installed during the period 1940 to 1964, were generating much
below the design capacities for a variety of reasons, including overage of
a couple of components or sub-systems, which could have been set right
by KSEB engineers themselves, with little or marginal assistance and
inputs from organizations and enterprises at the national level. In our
view, there were three fundamental defects in the agreement signed by
the KSEB under the UDF regime: (1) the price agreed to for the supply of
goods and services was quite high, considering the scope of the R&A
programme; (2) contracting the consulting firm for the supply of goods
and services, specified by it, was procedurally wrong and lacking in
transparency and (3) the need for external consultancy was only
marginal and most of the engineering services could be organized
internally within the KSEB organization. Mr Sambamurthy had
conveyed the above understanding to the KSEB Chairman, the Vice-
Chairman of the Planning Board, as well as the Minister. We had also
used our influence, individually as well as jointly, to get from BHEL its
proposals and quotation to do the job on a turnkey basis with or without
credit from the Power Finance Corporation. As I remember, BHEL's price
was around Rs 100 crore, much less than that of the Canadian firm. This
is the last I know personally about this KSEB project.
Prophecy by Ex-CEA Chairman and the Power Secretary: Mr
Sambamurthy had later informed me that the Minister himself was
favouring the Canadians because they had offered to set up a Cancer
Centre in the Chief Minister's constituency in Malabar at a cost of Rs 100
crore. Trading a misconceived power project contract for a healthcare
institution in the Chief Minister's constituency was a new experience for
Mr Sambamurthy and in his view it was a clear violation of the spirit of
the Electricity Act 1948, of which he had been the custodian for several
years. He had cautioned that it was nothing short of political corruption
which would get exposed in no time and could do immense damage to
the movement that we all believed in. Mr Varadachary, IAS, a close friend
of mine and then Power Secretary, had told me that for expressing such
concerns on the file the Minister had openly branded him a madcap.
These honest officials stand vindicated today, more than 100 percent,
and the developments are proving to be so very costly and embarrassing
for the CPI(M). Comrade Pinarayi Vijayan was only a Minister at the time
of committing this indiscretion: he is now the Secretary of the Kerala
contingent of the CPI (M), the largest working class party in the country.
Advice by Balanadan Committee: The expert committee on power
development appointed by the Government under advice from the party
State Committee, with Comrade E Balanandan as Chairman and several
technical experts of international repute and representatives of trade
union executives and associations as members, had refused to endorse
the recommendations of the Canadian consultants and had suggested far
more cost-effective approaches as alternatives after detailed field
investigations and studies. Within seven days of submission of this
report by the expert committee, headed by Mr Balanamdan, the then
President of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), a veteran trade
unionist from India's power sector and politburo (PB) member of the CPI
(M), the Cabinet of Ministers headed by another PB member of the party
had put its seal of approval on the SNC-L contract. That was very typical
of the power equation that prevails in the Kerala CPI (M) even today.
Recent newspaper reports: Just before the damaging CA&AG document
got leaked to the press, Tthe Hindu had reported on July 1, 2005 from
Kannur: The Malabar Cancer Centre (MCC) in north Kerala is struggling for
survival even as the controversy over its funding by Canadian company
SNC Lavalin is raging. Cancer patients from the northern districts continue
to go to distant places in Kerala and neighbouring States for treatment as
MCC has been functioning without even a radiotherapy unit, which is the
basic requirement for a cancer centre. SNC Lavalin had promised Rs 983
million to the MCC as a reward to the contract awarded to them for
renovating the Pallivasal, Cherkulam and Panniyar hydel power projects
at an estimated cost of Rs 2.83 billion. The work on the cancer centre was
started after the Canadian company provided the first instalment of Rs120
million after which they have remained silent. The MCC has now only 12
doctors and 65 beds as against the original plan of 276 beds
and....Quoting the CA&AG draft, The Hindu of July 10 reported: The R&M
project, executed at a colossal cost of Rs 374.50 crores, did not result in
any improvement in power generation at Pallivasal, Sengulam and
Panniar, which had a combined generation capacity of 115.5 MW of
electricity. On the contrary, because of various technical defects in the
renovated equipment, the power stations at these three places did not
achieve the pre-renovation generation levels when the R&M was completed
in 2001.
Actual generation at these three stations in 2002-03 was only 371
million units which was less than 60% of the design capacity. This
supports the contentions of the AG's report that the R&M project as
implemented by the Canadian consultant did not meet the declared
objective, even though the cost was substantially high compared to the
options available to KSEB.
Defence by Kerala CPI (M): With charges of political corruption and
kick-back in the SNC-L deal mounting against its, the Kerala CPI (M)
Secretary is on the defensive and there is a plethora of explanations from
the top, such as:
(1) The CA&AG report is a mere hoax to discredit the party.
(2) The main target of the leak was A K Antony. It was a part of the
ongoing feud within the Congress Party.
(3) The original agreement was signed by the UDF, and the LDF cannot
be blamed for poor performance or non-performance.
(4) The LDF Minister brought down the cost during his visits to Canada
and discussions with SNC-L.
(5) The BHEL offer and the Balanandan Committee recommendations
could not be considered because the contract was closed by the UDF and
cancellation would have led to arbitration in Paris.
(6) The balance money of Rs 89 crore for the Malabar Cancer Centre
could have been collected if the UDF had made an earnest try.
(7) The LNC-L offer for social services was only Rs 40 crore originally and
the LDF could increase this to Rs 100 crore.
Self-defeating explanations: Explanations 1 to 4 were flimsy and
mutually contradictory and quickly went out of circulation. Regarding
(5), one may say that going for arbitration would have (a) served public
interest in a big way by substantially reducing the project cost, (b) helped
to re-assert the policy of support to the public sector for strengthening
national self-reliance, (c) won the confidence of the employees of KSEB,
their TUs and other professionals who had participated in the
Balanandan study and (d) exposed the UDF for political corruption and
kick-backs in foreign contracts.
Guilty of political corruption: Explanations (6) and (7) are even more
harmful politically, for The Hindu had reported: SNC Lavalin had
promised Rs 983 million to the MCC as a reward to the contract awarded
to them for renovating the Pallivasal, Cherkulam and Panniyar hydel
power projects at an estimated cost of Rs 2.83 billion. This is tantamount
to political corruption and kick-backs on foreign contracts, as in the case
of Bofors and other defence deals, the Enron scandal or Jayanti Shipping
of Dharma Teja and violated the very spirit of the Electricity Act 1948, as
alleged by Mr Sambamurthy and Mr Varadachary. Even more important
are the legality and transparency related to such payments: Who was
supposed to pay for the MCC, by what instrument, when and for what
purpose? If already Rs 11 crore was paid as reported by The Hindu; who
paid it, who received it, who spent it and who has accounted for it? MCC
is a Government organization with the Chief Minister as Chairman.
KSEB is accountable to the State Legislature, the Power Minister and
also to the State Tariff Regulatory Authority. And all of them are
accountable to the people at large. As it is, everybody, including the
media, takes it as just another example of corruption or kick-back, and
counts that nothing at all will happen despite the stir and noise.
Mr Vijayachandran, an engineering and management consultant based at Kochi,
with long experience in the design of energy systems, technology transfer, R and D
management, corporate planning, policy reviews and public sector administration,
is an occasional contributor to Passline Business Magazine.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Vartha new daily Planned by M.A pharis to kill Deepika daily
M.A.Pharis
who took over ailing News paper and made it into a profitable venture,initialy Pharis gave VRS to majority of its journalists run it safely and secure for disseminating his hidden agenda.Eventually the moves proved that Pharis acts such drama for Mr Pinarayi Vijayan and his faction in CPIM. Highly influential and media shy Pharis never appeared on the media. Very supportive to the communist party's Pinarayi faction Deepika showed 'outstanding' courage to oppose Kerala's Chief Minister and Mass leader V.S.Achuthanandan.When the chief minister alleged that Deepika is taking money from CIA,the news paper offered Ten million rupees if he proves it. The company decided to start another news paper 'Vartha' by using the network of deepika daily and The Court warnned such move and later the company decided to postpone.
who took over ailing News paper and made it into a profitable venture,initialy Pharis gave VRS to majority of its journalists run it safely and secure for disseminating his hidden agenda.Eventually the moves proved that Pharis acts such drama for Mr Pinarayi Vijayan and his faction in CPIM. Highly influential and media shy Pharis never appeared on the media. Very supportive to the communist party's Pinarayi faction Deepika showed 'outstanding' courage to oppose Kerala's Chief Minister and Mass leader V.S.Achuthanandan.When the chief minister alleged that Deepika is taking money from CIA,the news paper offered Ten million rupees if he proves it. The company decided to start another news paper 'Vartha' by using the network of deepika daily and The Court warnned such move and later the company decided to postpone.
Comment abt M. A pharis - Roshy-Roshyz world
Tuesday, 31 July 2007
Give M A pharis to singapore's court of law
Aboobackar paris(M A Pharis), the chairman of deepika has not done a small scam, it is scam made National Kidney foundation of singapore(NKF) really sinking.It is not just a finacial crime.It is crime that involves so many peoples lives.He is dangerous than al queada and osama bin laden(both of them are from are muslim community no, i just want to repeat one of my old post all muslims are not terrorist but all terrorists are muslims)Like mathrubhumi, mangalam and indiavision i also searche so many places including my deepika friends but i was not able to get a picture or photograph of faris.Like jesus said sheperd will enter through the front door, those who are entering through back door is thief.I just wonder a business minded person like mar arackal how believed faris, or both of them are palying together.Arackal is the most talented business man i have evr seen. Marian college, amal jyothi college and Peerumedu development society(PDS)are the examples of his talent.He became bishop of kanjirappally also by his management skill and making Fr.thalachelloor a mere watchdog of the game.I feel ashamed to see the name of Mr MA pharis in the board of directors of Kanjirappally diocesian co operative bank.he is the only non catholic, and a muslim.Some of my friends hinted that he is having links with some terrorist organisations in india and gets funding from overseas.one of the name we hear in funding marad victims( those muslims run away from marad fearing backlash of hindus).so a dangerous man in the wrong place.beware all people, some time next bomb attack will be in kerala
Give M A pharis to singapore's court of law
Aboobackar paris(M A Pharis), the chairman of deepika has not done a small scam, it is scam made National Kidney foundation of singapore(NKF) really sinking.It is not just a finacial crime.It is crime that involves so many peoples lives.He is dangerous than al queada and osama bin laden(both of them are from are muslim community no, i just want to repeat one of my old post all muslims are not terrorist but all terrorists are muslims)Like mathrubhumi, mangalam and indiavision i also searche so many places including my deepika friends but i was not able to get a picture or photograph of faris.Like jesus said sheperd will enter through the front door, those who are entering through back door is thief.I just wonder a business minded person like mar arackal how believed faris, or both of them are palying together.Arackal is the most talented business man i have evr seen. Marian college, amal jyothi college and Peerumedu development society(PDS)are the examples of his talent.He became bishop of kanjirappally also by his management skill and making Fr.thalachelloor a mere watchdog of the game.I feel ashamed to see the name of Mr MA pharis in the board of directors of Kanjirappally diocesian co operative bank.he is the only non catholic, and a muslim.Some of my friends hinted that he is having links with some terrorist organisations in india and gets funding from overseas.one of the name we hear in funding marad victims( those muslims run away from marad fearing backlash of hindus).so a dangerous man in the wrong place.beware all people, some time next bomb attack will be in kerala
Monday, July 30, 2007
60 Lakhs Sponsor - Silent M.A Pharis
Deccan Herald » National » Detailed Story Now, football spurs CPM group war DH News Service, Thiruvananthapuram: A football tournament organised by the CPM in Kannur has spurred a fresh round of factional war between Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan and party secretary Pinarayi Vijayan in the strife-torn party in Kerala.Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said here on Saturday that he would enquire into the questionable manner in which his party had received Rs 60 lakh from a “tainted” person for the tournament. In perhaps the first such exercise by a political party, the Nayanar Memorial International Gold Cup Football tournament was organised by the CPM in April last. A committee chaired by Mr Vijayan had overseen the conduct of the tournament which was attended by several teams including one from Pakistan. Last week, a Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi raised questions about the “secretive” manner in which Rs 60 lakh was received by the tournament committee from Chennai-based Parrot Grove Pvt Ltd. The company which donated the money chose to remain “invisible” at the tournament as its name was nowhere seen nor was it listed as a sponsor, it alleged. ‘Nothing shady’The CPM later clarified that there was nothing shady about the sponsorship of the tournament though it neither acknowledged nor denied the receipt of the money. Mr M A Pharis who owns the company is also the present chairman of Malayalam daily Deepika owned by the Catholic Church. He is known to be close to the Vijayan camp as justified by the spate of anti-Achuthanandan and pro-Vijayan stories appearing in Deepika for quite sometime now. Mr Pharis later issued a statement stating that a section of a section the media was out to tarnish him by publishing baseless charges. It was in this context that Mr Achuthanandan made the controversial statements linking him and the Vijayan camp. “Our party has well-established norms of soliciting funds. If we had received the funds from tainted people, then it will be probed,’’ Mr Achuthanandan said at a meet-the-press programme here.
Pharis Aboobacker, the current Chairman of Rashtra Deepika Ltd, which publishes Deepika Daily, has been served with writ summons from Singapore
Deepika Vice Chairman served writ of summons over Singapore Charity Foundation Scandal
Sunday, 11 June 2006
Pharis Aboobacker, the current Vice Chairman of Rashtra Deepika Ltd, which publishes Deepika Daily, has been served with writ summons from Singapore in a charity fund scandal worth S$ 5.28 Million. Mr Pharis, is a friend of Mr. T.T.Durai, the former Chairman of National Kidney Foundation, Singapore and a business associate of Ms Chua, another member on the board. Pharis is a Calicut based new billionaire, who is reportedly having strong political clout in the state and national level. During the BJP rule, the news paper believed to have recruited many Sangh Parivar scribes to protect its business interests. Loss making Indiavision Television Channel is also allegedely under the take over threat of him.
Deepika is the first Malayalam daily established in 1887. After a takeover by few business men, the newspaper lost its credibility as an independant media. Pharis is a close friend of the influential Christian Bishop of Kerala, Mar Mathew Arakkal, who is serving as the Chairman of Rashtra Deepika Publishing Company. Its director board also include, Mr. Joy Alukkas, the owner of Dubai based Alukkas Jewellery. Mr Pharis is named in the suit as the fifth defendant in NFK scandal which rocked the national politics of Singapore. A full independent audit on its finances was conducted by KPMG, and a 442-page report released on 19 December 2005 revealed several malpractices by the former NKF board and management. On 17 April 2006, Durai was arrested and charged under the Prevention of Corruptions Act by the Police.
Pharis also serve as a Business Advisor to the Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai, along with T.T.Durai, Former NKF chairman, Singapore. GLI panel include industrialists like Ratan Tata, Madhur Bajaj, Kumaramangalam, K.B.Chandrasekhar, John Fisher, Jamshyd Godrej, G.P.Goenka, Deshbandhu Gupta, Dr Abid Hussain, T.Kannan and others.
Pharis Aboobacker found in India, served writ of summons over NKF caseBy Pearl Forss, 07 June 2006, Channel NewsAsia
SINGAPORE : Pharis Aboobacker, who is being sued by the new National Kidney Foundation (NKF) to recover S$5.28 million paid to three of his firms, has been found in India and served the writ of summons. The Indian national is a friend of former NKF CEO T T Durai.
His company Forte Systems and Protonweb Solutions had entered into contracts with NKF worth millions and were paid even when software was not delivered on time.When the KPMG report on NKF was made public, Pharis was not in Singapore and could not be contacted.Three weeks ago, lawyers for the new NKF obtained a writ to serve it on him overseas, and last week Pharis was located in Chennai, where the writ of summons was served.If Pharis does not come back to Singapore, a judgement can be made against him by default.NKF will then have to decide if they will proceed to take legal action in India's courts. - CNA/ms
New NKF seeks over S$12m in damages from Durai, four others
Channel News Asia, May 23, 2006
THE new National Kidney Foundation (NKF) management is seeking more than S$12 million in damages in a civil suit against its former chief, three former directors, and a business associate.Lawyers explain that several unquantifiable claims, upon assessment before the courts, could tip the scales beyond S$12 million.All the claims were detailed in an 85-page statement to the High Court on April 24, and NKF lawyers Allen & Gledhill say unquantifiable ones make up a substantial portion of it.The new NKF claims it suffered losses not only through improper payments, but also in its credibility, resulting in a drop in donations and support from volunteers and agencies.The charity alleges that the loss of its reputation and goodwill in the eyes of the public has resulted in a drop in donations from existing donors as well as those who had cancelled regular donations.Projects such as the charity shows were also affected and there has been a drop in the number of volunteers and support from medical, government agencies, and corporations, both within Singapore and abroad.It was therefore seeking compensation for breach of duty from the five defendants, TT Durai, Richard Yong, Matilda Chua, Loo Say San, and Pharis Aboobacker.Said defence lawyer K Shanmugam, "Part of it is quantified; part of it is unquantified. Some parts of it, NKF has put a dollar claim -- what is the claim amount -- and some part of it is a matter for the court to make an assessment after hearing evidence as to how much is the damages."The quantifiable claims alone amount to:+ S$2.1 million in salaries, bonuses and other benefits "improperly" paid to Durai;+ S$4.08 million for loss of donations in the form of Lifedrops income;+ Over S$556,000 in legal costs incurred when Durai and the old NKF brought a defamation suit against Singapore Press Holdings;- And S$5.28 million paid to three companies linked to Pharis Aboobacker.Mr Pharis, a friend of Durai, is in India, where relevant authorities are in the process of serving him the writ of summons.He is the last of the five defendants to be told he is being sued by the new NKF.Durai has been given additional two weeks, till May 31, to file his defence.Richard Yong and Loo Say San filed their defence last Friday, while Matilda Chua is expected to do it at the start of the week.Failure to file by the stipulated time would allow lawyers for the new NKF to apply for judgment against the relevant defendants.Channel NewsAsia understands the trial is expected to begin in six to nine months.Meantime, the criminal cases against Durai, Yong, Chua, Loo, and former NKF staff Ragini Vijayalingam will be mentioned again on June 19 at the Subordinate Courts.At the pre-trial conference on Monday, the defence asked the prosecution for more documents pertaining to the charges. - CNA /ct
Channel News Asia Story on NKF Kidney Scandal
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/nkf/
Justice for NKF Donors
http://justice4nkfdonors.blogspot.com/
National Kidney Foundation Singapore scandal, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Kidney_Foundation_Singapore_scandal
National Kidney Foundation, Singapore
http://www.nkfs.org/
Petition Online on NKF Scandalhttp://www.petitiononline.com/nkfs/petition.html
About Pharis ABoobacker
Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai.
http://www.glakes.org/people.htm
Proton Web Solutions, Chennaihttp://www.protonweb.com/
Fortesyst Inchttp://www.fortesyst.com
Rashtra Deepika http://www.deepika.com/cat13.asp?ccode=about
Rashtra Deepika Director Board
Mathew Arakkal
http://kanjirapallydiocese.com/bishoparakal.htm
MGM Pillai, Malaysia Based Malayali Journalist
http://www.mggpillai.com/search.php3?query=singapore+&topic=&author=&days=0&type=stories
Sunday, 11 June 2006
Pharis Aboobacker, the current Vice Chairman of Rashtra Deepika Ltd, which publishes Deepika Daily, has been served with writ summons from Singapore in a charity fund scandal worth S$ 5.28 Million. Mr Pharis, is a friend of Mr. T.T.Durai, the former Chairman of National Kidney Foundation, Singapore and a business associate of Ms Chua, another member on the board. Pharis is a Calicut based new billionaire, who is reportedly having strong political clout in the state and national level. During the BJP rule, the news paper believed to have recruited many Sangh Parivar scribes to protect its business interests. Loss making Indiavision Television Channel is also allegedely under the take over threat of him.
Deepika is the first Malayalam daily established in 1887. After a takeover by few business men, the newspaper lost its credibility as an independant media. Pharis is a close friend of the influential Christian Bishop of Kerala, Mar Mathew Arakkal, who is serving as the Chairman of Rashtra Deepika Publishing Company. Its director board also include, Mr. Joy Alukkas, the owner of Dubai based Alukkas Jewellery. Mr Pharis is named in the suit as the fifth defendant in NFK scandal which rocked the national politics of Singapore. A full independent audit on its finances was conducted by KPMG, and a 442-page report released on 19 December 2005 revealed several malpractices by the former NKF board and management. On 17 April 2006, Durai was arrested and charged under the Prevention of Corruptions Act by the Police.
Pharis also serve as a Business Advisor to the Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai, along with T.T.Durai, Former NKF chairman, Singapore. GLI panel include industrialists like Ratan Tata, Madhur Bajaj, Kumaramangalam, K.B.Chandrasekhar, John Fisher, Jamshyd Godrej, G.P.Goenka, Deshbandhu Gupta, Dr Abid Hussain, T.Kannan and others.
Pharis Aboobacker found in India, served writ of summons over NKF caseBy Pearl Forss, 07 June 2006, Channel NewsAsia
SINGAPORE : Pharis Aboobacker, who is being sued by the new National Kidney Foundation (NKF) to recover S$5.28 million paid to three of his firms, has been found in India and served the writ of summons. The Indian national is a friend of former NKF CEO T T Durai.
His company Forte Systems and Protonweb Solutions had entered into contracts with NKF worth millions and were paid even when software was not delivered on time.When the KPMG report on NKF was made public, Pharis was not in Singapore and could not be contacted.Three weeks ago, lawyers for the new NKF obtained a writ to serve it on him overseas, and last week Pharis was located in Chennai, where the writ of summons was served.If Pharis does not come back to Singapore, a judgement can be made against him by default.NKF will then have to decide if they will proceed to take legal action in India's courts. - CNA/ms
New NKF seeks over S$12m in damages from Durai, four others
Channel News Asia, May 23, 2006
THE new National Kidney Foundation (NKF) management is seeking more than S$12 million in damages in a civil suit against its former chief, three former directors, and a business associate.Lawyers explain that several unquantifiable claims, upon assessment before the courts, could tip the scales beyond S$12 million.All the claims were detailed in an 85-page statement to the High Court on April 24, and NKF lawyers Allen & Gledhill say unquantifiable ones make up a substantial portion of it.The new NKF claims it suffered losses not only through improper payments, but also in its credibility, resulting in a drop in donations and support from volunteers and agencies.The charity alleges that the loss of its reputation and goodwill in the eyes of the public has resulted in a drop in donations from existing donors as well as those who had cancelled regular donations.Projects such as the charity shows were also affected and there has been a drop in the number of volunteers and support from medical, government agencies, and corporations, both within Singapore and abroad.It was therefore seeking compensation for breach of duty from the five defendants, TT Durai, Richard Yong, Matilda Chua, Loo Say San, and Pharis Aboobacker.Said defence lawyer K Shanmugam, "Part of it is quantified; part of it is unquantified. Some parts of it, NKF has put a dollar claim -- what is the claim amount -- and some part of it is a matter for the court to make an assessment after hearing evidence as to how much is the damages."The quantifiable claims alone amount to:+ S$2.1 million in salaries, bonuses and other benefits "improperly" paid to Durai;+ S$4.08 million for loss of donations in the form of Lifedrops income;+ Over S$556,000 in legal costs incurred when Durai and the old NKF brought a defamation suit against Singapore Press Holdings;- And S$5.28 million paid to three companies linked to Pharis Aboobacker.Mr Pharis, a friend of Durai, is in India, where relevant authorities are in the process of serving him the writ of summons.He is the last of the five defendants to be told he is being sued by the new NKF.Durai has been given additional two weeks, till May 31, to file his defence.Richard Yong and Loo Say San filed their defence last Friday, while Matilda Chua is expected to do it at the start of the week.Failure to file by the stipulated time would allow lawyers for the new NKF to apply for judgment against the relevant defendants.Channel NewsAsia understands the trial is expected to begin in six to nine months.Meantime, the criminal cases against Durai, Yong, Chua, Loo, and former NKF staff Ragini Vijayalingam will be mentioned again on June 19 at the Subordinate Courts.At the pre-trial conference on Monday, the defence asked the prosecution for more documents pertaining to the charges. - CNA /ct
Channel News Asia Story on NKF Kidney Scandal
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/nkf/
Justice for NKF Donors
http://justice4nkfdonors.blogspot.com/
National Kidney Foundation Singapore scandal, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Kidney_Foundation_Singapore_scandal
National Kidney Foundation, Singapore
http://www.nkfs.org/
Petition Online on NKF Scandalhttp://www.petitiononline.com/nkfs/petition.html
About Pharis ABoobacker
Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai.
http://www.glakes.org/people.htm
Proton Web Solutions, Chennaihttp://www.protonweb.com/
Fortesyst Inchttp://www.fortesyst.com
Rashtra Deepika http://www.deepika.com/cat13.asp?ccode=about
Rashtra Deepika Director Board
Mathew Arakkal
http://kanjirapallydiocese.com/bishoparakal.htm
MGM Pillai, Malaysia Based Malayali Journalist
http://www.mggpillai.com/search.php3?query=singapore+&topic=&author=&days=0&type=stories
What Mr M.A Pharis To do with .Kanjirapally Diocese
http://www.kanjirapallydiocese.com/bank.htm
pls See this Link
SAHYADRI CO-OPERATIVE CREDIT SOCIETY LTD.
AMALJYOTHI BUILDING, KANJIRAPALLY,
KOTTAYAM DIST.KERALA - 686 507
Ph.No. 04828-203409, 204264
Regd. under Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act. 2002 (Regn. No. MSCS/CR/175/2004)
Sahyadri Co-operative Credit Society Ltd was registered as a Multi–State Co-operative Society under Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act 2002 with Registration No. MSCS/CR/175, 2004The Society received the approval of the Government of India on 16th March 2004 and was formally inaugurated on 6th May 2004.
No. of Share holders : 2897 No. of Nominal Members : 920Total Share Capital : Rs.237.73 lacs
DEPOSITSRate of Interest (%)• Savings Interest Rate 4.0 • Recurring Deposits 6.0 (Minimum Period 1 year, Maximum Period 5 years)Fixed DepositsPeriod Rate of Interest (%) • 15 Days to 45 Days 5.5• 46 Days to 90 Days 6.5 • 91 Days to 179 Days 6.5 • 180 Days to less than 1 year 7.0• 1 Year and above to less than 3 years 8.0• 3 Years & above 8.5
ADVANCES
Rate of Interest (%)• Housing LoanUpto 3 lacs 9.5Above 3 lacs 10.0• Education Loan Upto 2 lacs 10.5Above 2 lacs 11.0• Gold Loan Upto Rs.10000 9.0Above Rs.10000 10.0• Vehicle Loan 10.0• General Purpose Loan for Individuals 12.0• General Purpose Loan for Institutions 10.5
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
1. Mar Mathew Arackal - Chairman 2. Dr. Punyabrata Basak Ph.D. - Vice Chairman 3. Dr. Joseph Nagaroor 4. Dr. (Ms) A. Komalavalli Amma 5. Dr. Thomas K. Sebastian M.Sc, Ph.D. (Director – Agriculture) 6. Shri. Babu Karippaparambil7. Sri. Joseph M. Kallivayalil 8. Shri. K.V. Thomas, Kadamappuzha, Director, Kochi Stock Exchange.9. Prof. James K. George 10. Advocate George K. George, Kollamkulam 11. Fr. Varkey Vaniyapurackal (Director - Administration) 12. Shri. Jose Thomas Pattara 13. Fr. Zacharias Illickamury
14. Shri. M.A Pharis
See This Who is Mr M.A Pharis To be accomodated in This board
pls See this Link
SAHYADRI CO-OPERATIVE CREDIT SOCIETY LTD.
AMALJYOTHI BUILDING, KANJIRAPALLY,
KOTTAYAM DIST.KERALA - 686 507
Ph.No. 04828-203409, 204264
Regd. under Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act. 2002 (Regn. No. MSCS/CR/175/2004)
Sahyadri Co-operative Credit Society Ltd was registered as a Multi–State Co-operative Society under Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act 2002 with Registration No. MSCS/CR/175, 2004The Society received the approval of the Government of India on 16th March 2004 and was formally inaugurated on 6th May 2004.
No. of Share holders : 2897 No. of Nominal Members : 920Total Share Capital : Rs.237.73 lacs
DEPOSITSRate of Interest (%)• Savings Interest Rate 4.0 • Recurring Deposits 6.0 (Minimum Period 1 year, Maximum Period 5 years)Fixed DepositsPeriod Rate of Interest (%) • 15 Days to 45 Days 5.5• 46 Days to 90 Days 6.5 • 91 Days to 179 Days 6.5 • 180 Days to less than 1 year 7.0• 1 Year and above to less than 3 years 8.0• 3 Years & above 8.5
ADVANCES
Rate of Interest (%)• Housing LoanUpto 3 lacs 9.5Above 3 lacs 10.0• Education Loan Upto 2 lacs 10.5Above 2 lacs 11.0• Gold Loan Upto Rs.10000 9.0Above Rs.10000 10.0• Vehicle Loan 10.0• General Purpose Loan for Individuals 12.0• General Purpose Loan for Institutions 10.5
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
1. Mar Mathew Arackal - Chairman 2. Dr. Punyabrata Basak Ph.D. - Vice Chairman 3. Dr. Joseph Nagaroor 4. Dr. (Ms) A. Komalavalli Amma 5. Dr. Thomas K. Sebastian M.Sc, Ph.D. (Director – Agriculture) 6. Shri. Babu Karippaparambil7. Sri. Joseph M. Kallivayalil 8. Shri. K.V. Thomas, Kadamappuzha, Director, Kochi Stock Exchange.9. Prof. James K. George 10. Advocate George K. George, Kollamkulam 11. Fr. Varkey Vaniyapurackal (Director - Administration) 12. Shri. Jose Thomas Pattara 13. Fr. Zacharias Illickamury
14. Shri. M.A Pharis
See This Who is Mr M.A Pharis To be accomodated in This board
Muslim businessman takes over Kerala's century-old Catholic daily
Muslim businessman takes over Kerala's century-old Catholic daily
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India (UCAN) : Catholics in a southern India state are dismayed that a Muslim has taken over a newspaper the Catholic Church ran for more than 100 years.
M.A. Pharis, a 46-year-old Muslim with business and political interests in Kerala state, has become chairperson of the public limited company that owns Deepika (little lamp), Kerala's oldest Malayalam-language daily. He replaced Bishop Mathew Arackal of Kanjirappally, who had led the company since 2003. Deepika's print line began to carry Pharis' name on July 16, but neither the daily nor its sister publications announced the change in their news columns. Other local dailies broke the news on July 17. The Kerala-based Carmelite of Mary Immaculate (CMI) congregation launched Deepika in 1887 at Mannanam near Kottayam, 2,650 kilometers south of New Delhi. Two priests, Father Nidhirikkal Manikkathanar and Blessed Kuriakose Elias Chavara, called it Nazrani Deepika when they started it. Nazrani in the local language means "Christian," a follower of the Nazarene. Blessed Kuriakose (1805-1871) was a founder of the indigenous Carmelite congregation that follows the Syro-Malabar rite within the Catholic Church. The newspaper functioned under the CMI until 1989, when ownership shifted to "Rashtra Deepika Limited," a newly created public limited company. Laypeople, dioceses and congregations shared ownership of the company that increasingly incurred heavy losses. To help the company, the synod of Syro-Malabar bishops appointed Bishop Arackal as the company's chairperson, and the prelate reportedly brought in Pharis to invest in the company to help it get over the financial crisis. Kuriakose Ellenkiyil, a Catholic of Palai diocese where the newspaper has thousands of readers, told UCA News, "It is sad the Church surrendered its controlling shares in the historic newspaper." The newspaper had stood for the rights of Christians in the state and "made innumerable contributions for the Church's development," the elderly Catholic recalled. But Bishop Arackal told UCA News "the changeover was nothing unusual," only part of executing decisions of the company's board of directors. "I submitted my resignation earlier, but it came into effect only the other day," he said. Even so, Shaji Jacob, a Catholic who had worked for Deepika for 20 years, pointed out to UCA News that the change ends Church ownership of the paper. The paper has been following Pharis' polices since 2005, he added, and the fact that Deepika still has two priests of Kanjirappally diocese working as its managing director and general manager "is an attempt to fool the people." According to Jacob, it is "necessary" for Pharis to keep the paper's Catholic identify so he can keep selling it among Catholics. "The presence of priests in the company helps his business and political interests," he said. Jomon Puthenpurackal, a social activist and Catholic in Kottayam, added that under the new management, Deepika and its sister concerns have lost their image as value-based publications. "It is most unfortunate that the Catholic Church in Kerala does not have money to run the newspaper it managed for over a century and had to sell it to a Muslim businessman," Puthenpurackal said. A journalist working for the company told UCA News on July 19 that Pharis was named director and got most shares transferred to him within a short span. The journalist, who asked not to be named, said that a voluntary retirement scheme Pharis supposedly introduced to lay off excess staff in practice helped remove journalists who resisted his policy changes. "Eventually, the newspaper became a tool in the hands of Pharis," the journalist asserted. Deepika was once Kerala's leading daily, but with a circulation of about 300,000 copies, the paper now trails Malayala Manorama and Mathrubhoomi.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India (UCAN) : Catholics in a southern India state are dismayed that a Muslim has taken over a newspaper the Catholic Church ran for more than 100 years.
M.A. Pharis, a 46-year-old Muslim with business and political interests in Kerala state, has become chairperson of the public limited company that owns Deepika (little lamp), Kerala's oldest Malayalam-language daily. He replaced Bishop Mathew Arackal of Kanjirappally, who had led the company since 2003. Deepika's print line began to carry Pharis' name on July 16, but neither the daily nor its sister publications announced the change in their news columns. Other local dailies broke the news on July 17. The Kerala-based Carmelite of Mary Immaculate (CMI) congregation launched Deepika in 1887 at Mannanam near Kottayam, 2,650 kilometers south of New Delhi. Two priests, Father Nidhirikkal Manikkathanar and Blessed Kuriakose Elias Chavara, called it Nazrani Deepika when they started it. Nazrani in the local language means "Christian," a follower of the Nazarene. Blessed Kuriakose (1805-1871) was a founder of the indigenous Carmelite congregation that follows the Syro-Malabar rite within the Catholic Church. The newspaper functioned under the CMI until 1989, when ownership shifted to "Rashtra Deepika Limited," a newly created public limited company. Laypeople, dioceses and congregations shared ownership of the company that increasingly incurred heavy losses. To help the company, the synod of Syro-Malabar bishops appointed Bishop Arackal as the company's chairperson, and the prelate reportedly brought in Pharis to invest in the company to help it get over the financial crisis. Kuriakose Ellenkiyil, a Catholic of Palai diocese where the newspaper has thousands of readers, told UCA News, "It is sad the Church surrendered its controlling shares in the historic newspaper." The newspaper had stood for the rights of Christians in the state and "made innumerable contributions for the Church's development," the elderly Catholic recalled. But Bishop Arackal told UCA News "the changeover was nothing unusual," only part of executing decisions of the company's board of directors. "I submitted my resignation earlier, but it came into effect only the other day," he said. Even so, Shaji Jacob, a Catholic who had worked for Deepika for 20 years, pointed out to UCA News that the change ends Church ownership of the paper. The paper has been following Pharis' polices since 2005, he added, and the fact that Deepika still has two priests of Kanjirappally diocese working as its managing director and general manager "is an attempt to fool the people." According to Jacob, it is "necessary" for Pharis to keep the paper's Catholic identify so he can keep selling it among Catholics. "The presence of priests in the company helps his business and political interests," he said. Jomon Puthenpurackal, a social activist and Catholic in Kottayam, added that under the new management, Deepika and its sister concerns have lost their image as value-based publications. "It is most unfortunate that the Catholic Church in Kerala does not have money to run the newspaper it managed for over a century and had to sell it to a Muslim businessman," Puthenpurackal said. A journalist working for the company told UCA News on July 19 that Pharis was named director and got most shares transferred to him within a short span. The journalist, who asked not to be named, said that a voluntary retirement scheme Pharis supposedly introduced to lay off excess staff in practice helped remove journalists who resisted his policy changes. "Eventually, the newspaper became a tool in the hands of Pharis," the journalist asserted. Deepika was once Kerala's leading daily, but with a circulation of about 300,000 copies, the paper now trails Malayala Manorama and Mathrubhoomi.
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