The CBI has registered two cases in connection with alleged supply of low quality imported Indonesian coal by a private company to different power plants of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and NTPC-SAIl Power Corporation ltd (NSPCl) in conspiracy with certain officials of these power plants.
Additional General Manager and Head of NTPC Power Plant lab, Unchahar, AK Srivastava and his deputy manager Uma Shankar Verma, Bhatia International ltd, Indore, Bhatia International Pte ltd, Singapore, PT Mitra SK Analisa Testtama, Jakarta Timur, Indonesia and its Indian subsidiary SK Mitra Pvt ltd, Kolkata and Chandra Prakash Yadav, a chemist at SK Mitra and unknown others have been booked in the two cases.
Following registration of the cases, the CBI conducted searches at the official and residential premises of Srivastava, Verma, senior manager of NSPCl, the accused private companies during which the agency claimed to have recovered incriminating documents
In the first case, Srivastava, Verma, Bhatia International, Bhatia International Pte ltd, Singapore, PT Mitra SK Analisa Testama, Indonesia, SK Mitra Pvt ltd and its chemist have been booked for criminal conspiracy and cheating and relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The agency has alleged that the accused persons during the period 2011-13 entered into criminal conspiracy with an intention to cheat NTPC. In pursuance of the criminal conspiracy, inferior quality non-coking coal of Indonesian origin, shown to be of good quality on papers, was purchased from Indonesia by the Singapore-based company, overseas supplier and sister concern of Indore based group of companies. Thereafter, the inferior quality coal was brought to India in different vessels, vide different Bill of Entries, having gross calorific value, far less than technical specifications of the agreement and thus liable to be rejected, and was supplied to NTPC power plant at Unchahar, which has resulted in a wrongful loss of over `23,16 crore.
The second case has been registered against senior manager and Head of NSPCl Power Plant lab, Bhilai, a Chemist of NSPCl Power Plant lab., Indore-based private company, Singapore-based company, Mumbai-based private laboratories and unknown persons. They have been booked for cheating, criminal conspiracy and violations of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The CBI alleged that the accused persons during the period 2011-13 entered into criminal conspiracy with an intention to cheat NSPCl, Bhilai Power Plant. In pursuance of the alleged criminal conspiracy, inferior quality non-coking coal was supplied by the Indore-based firm to the power plant. This resulted in a wrongful loss of `92.91 crore to the power plant.