Kochi: As the Kerala state government claims heavy financial constraints for support towards the reopening and revival of the cashew factories under the cooperative sector, Cashew Workers Apex Industrial Cooperative Society (Capex) and the public sector Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation (KSCDC) are allegedly showing a "mysterious lethargy" in realising a legally due amount of Rs 4.2 crore from the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation (Trifed), a central government organisation.

The amount could have been realised six months ago. But the industries department has shown no interest in filing the required execution petition to realise the same. Says Capex chairman G Balachandran. "Such an amount was due from Trifed and pending realisation came to my attention only five days ago. Now I have taken steps to realise the amount by informing the industries department."

Since his takeover as the chairman of the Capex, he says no one had informed him about the realisation of such an amount from Trifed. "It was while going through the files last week that I become aware of it." He immediately communicated it formally to the industries department to realise the amount. It is alleged that there was a vested interest behind keeping the realisation of the amount pending.

The motive was allegedly to keep alive the vigilance case against Capex officials, including the then managing director K V Kamaladharan, who were suspended in connection with the loss supposed to have been incurred by Capex at that time on account of the controversial deal with Trifed.

Capex was awarded the amount by the Kerala Cooperative Tribunal as compensation following a legal battle, which lasted a couple of years. The issue pertains to a deal for the supply of raw nuts, which Capex entered into with Trifed in October 1995.

As per the deal (known as 'Andhra deal'), 5,000 tonnes of raw nuts had been supplied to Capex by Trifed through an agent, BP Exports, at the rate of Rs 34.50 per kg on a guarantee that the out-turn on processing will be 21.5 kg kernels on a bag of raw nuts containing 80 kg.

However, when the consignment reached here by rail, the quality and quantity were found to be much below what had been assured in the ad hoc formal agreement. It led to the suspension of six Capex officials, including Kamaladharan, on grounds that through the deal, Capex had suffered a loss of Rs 5 crore and that the same was a scam.

However, a litigation filed before the Cooperative Tribunal and the Kerala High Court had established that there was no scam behind it since it was a formal deal between a state government undertaking and a central government undertaking.

The verdict of the Cooperative Tribunal stated that Trifed should compensate the loss by paying Rs 3.2 crore with 12 per cent interest per annum as damages to Capex. Though Trifed filed an appeal in the high court for stay on the tribunal verdict and obtained the same, in March this year, the stay had got vacated. But yet, there is no initiative on the part of Capex to realise the amount.