The controversy surrounding the land allotment to former Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan’s company, Ceylon Beverages, has taken a new turn with reports emerging that the company has pulled out of its planned Rs. 16.50 billion investment in Jammu and Kashmir.
Officials confirmed that Muralitharan decided to withdraw from the project due to the expiration of incentives under the 2021 National Sector Industrial Policy, which ended in September last year. The former cricketer has now shifted his plant to Pune, applying to back out of the investment proposal on March 6.
The controversy first erupted when opposition lawmakers in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly raised concerns over the 26-acre land allotment for Muralitharan’s beverage company in Kathua. They questioned why land was given “free of cost” to an outsider when local residents were reportedly struggling to obtain land for housing.
CPM legislator Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami accused the government of violating norms, stating that land must be allocated based on official regulations for any commercial purpose. He further alleged that no money had been charged from the cricketer’s company for the land allotment.
However, official records contradict these claims, showing that the land was allotted at ₹ 6.4 million per acre, with an annual lease of ₹ 60,000 for the establishment of Ceylon Beverage Can Pvt. Ltd, a company registered in Chennai that already operates a unit in Mysore.
The company had applied for withdrawal from the project just a day before the controversy broke out, deciding instead to install the bottling and can manufacturing plant in Pune.
The 2021 Industrial Development Scheme had offered incentives worth ₹ 284.00 billion, including subsidies on capital investment, GST rebates on plant and machinery purchases, and financial assistance for working capital loans. However, these incentives expired in September 2023, and despite the Union Territory government’s request for an extension, no approval has been granted by the Centre.
After waiting for a response, Muralitharan opted to move the project elsewhere.
According to the company’s online profile, Ceylon Beverages is Sri Lanka’s largest beverage processing, filling, and exporting entity, providing contract filling services to major international clients, including Coca-Cola and Nestlé.
SOURCE :- DECCAN HERALD
