Beginning with its investigations, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has revealed that Coalgate scam has total worth of around Rs 1200 crore. In the coal scam, it is alleged that government has allocated coal blocks to private companies in an irregular manner instead of public auction, during 2004-09. The agency is also examining the role of four state governments namely West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand for signing MoUs with the private companies.
According to CBI, the documents of as many as 1,000 companies has been scanned and the agency has found that more than 500 companies are allegedly involved in the scam who although got coal linkage and signed fuel supply agreement, misused it to make fortunes. The CBI has set 14 teams within its economic offences wing (EOW) to probe the documents pertaining to allocation of coal blocks.
'We found evidence against the companies which got coal at notified (subsidized) price of around Rs 2,000 per tonne and sold it in open market at around Rs 6,000 per tonne and made huge fortunes. If we calculate the total worth of coal lifted by the 500 companies, currently under scanner, it comes to around Rs 1200 crore. We were surprised that most of the companies did not even set up the plant for treatment of coal and convert into smokeless fuel,' the CBI officer said.
'At times the companies which got coal linkage lifted coal from the mining companies and directly transported it to markets on the Bihar-Uttar Pradesh border. We are slowly moving with the investigation and have even conducted more than 50 raids including offices and residences of senior officials of public sector coal companies and owners of the companies which got coal linkage and sold it in open market,' the officer added. The agency also discovered that officers of coal companies never verified the documents submitted by private companies.
Earlier, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had presented a report on the similar issue. However Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal had dismissed the findings of CAG by naming the report as “illogical”. By adding further, Jaiswal said “This is no logic. If this is accepted, there are so many hydro projects in the country. Tell me whether usage of water was charged.”
The anti-corruption activist - Anna Hazare and his team had demanded special investigation team (SIT), instead of CBI, to probe coalgate scam in which PM and other 14 ministers are allegedly involved. However, recently Hazare has given clean-shit to the PM.
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