Coalgate: Madhu Koda tampered with screening committee report, says CAG
28/08/2014
New Delhi: The follow-up report by the CAG pertaining to revenues of the Jharkhand government has stated that Madhu Koda, then chief minister of the state, had allegedly meddled with the recommendations of a screening committee for coal allocation in the state, as per a daily news paper.
The CAG report has blamed both the Centre and Koda for changing the recommendations for allocation of six coal blocks in Jharkhand, the daily reported.
Koda seemingly had made changes in the list of companies recommended by the screening committee, which had gone through 210 applications to finally approve 10 of them. Koda, moreover, took out names of three companies, and added five new companies in the final list, which was approved by the Centre later. He did so without stating any reasons for the change.
The CAG had sought response from the Jharkhand Government about this in 2012 but to no avail.
Koda was questioned by the CBI officials this April in connection with their probe into coal blocks allocation scam.
Earlier, Koda was also questioned for his alleged role in allocation of Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in Birbhum, Jharkhand to two firms belonging to Congress Lok Sabha MP and industrialist Naveen Jindal, sources said.
Koda was shown papers related to the allocation of the coal block and asked about the then Jharkhand government's role in helping Jindal's firm get it, they said.
CBI had on June 11, the previous year, registered a case against former minister of state for Coal Dasari Narayan Rao and Naveen Jindal for alleged cheating, graft and criminal misconduct in the coal block allocation.
Sources said that Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) and Gagan Sponge Iron Private Limited (GSIPL), also a Jindal firm, had bagged Jharkhand's Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in 2008 by alleged misrepresentation of facts when Rao was is office.
They said the misrepresentation was allegedly done on three counts - land, water supply and previous allocations.
In 2012, CAG tabled its report in Parliament, saying private firms are likely to gain Rs 1.86 lakh crore from coal blocks that were allocated to them on nomination basis instead of competitive bidding, which amounted to the loss to national exchequer.
The CAG had in its report named 25 companies including Essar Power, Hindalco, Tata Steel, Tata Power and Jindal Steel and Power which got the coal blocks in various states.
Share This Story |
|
Comment On This Story |
|
|
|
|