Kerala AI camera deal: Government gives clean chit, says 'no corruption'

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Industries Minister P. Rajeev on Friday released a report that said there is no corruption in the controversial AI camera deal in the state.

The report prepared by a top bureaucrat said that there was no wrongdoing in the project and dismissed the opposition's allegations of corruption. "All the tender process has been done according to the CWC guidelines, and the report has dismissed all the allegations levelled as baseless. The state-run Keltron has done a clean job and they have done everything according to rules," said the minister.

The Congress has been alleging that a commission worth Rs 100 crore was involved in the deal. The party said it is dissatisfied and is preparing for legal action.

"For the past several weeks, we have been raising pointed questions to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. He continues to be silent and the only reason why he is silent is that he knows the biggest beneficiary in this corrupt deal is his relative. We demand that he breaks his silence. We are now waiting to take the legal route to bring out one of the most corrupt deals in the tenure of Vijayan. We will approach the judiciary once the High Court opens after the summer break," said Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan.

The 'Safe Kerala' project was inaugurated on April 20 and 726 surveillance cameras were installed across the state to prevent traffic rules violations and promote road safety. It was widely criticised for the cost of the cameras and exorbitant fines. The contracts given to companies with insufficient experience were also called out.