Most of the cooperative societies, formed by the Project Affected People (PAP), are cheating Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) of lakhs of rupees in the guise of looking after internal coal transportation work.
Project Officer of Lakhanpur Open cast mines Awadh Kishore Pandey has filed an FIR in Lakhanpur police station on behalf of the MCL after which, the police registered a case against Belpahar Transport Company Limited (BPCL) and arrested its chief executive Pramod Panda, who is now in judicial custody.
But, after the incident, the officials of more than 12 PAP societies, working in transportation of coal in Lakhanpur and Ib Coal fields, are apprehending action against them for cheating major funds of MCL through fake documents. They are now on an overdrive to come clean of the transactions made with the MCL.
According to sources, after production of coal by the MCL through surface miners in Lakhanpur mines, the PAP societies are doing transportation of coal to siding through heavy vehicles and trucks. Drivers and other workers are engaged by PAPs in the transportation works for more than 5 years.
The contractors of PAPs give payments of salary and coal mines provident fund (CMPF)to them every month and present bills to the MCL for reimbursement. After necessary sanction of bills, payments are cleared to the PAPs by the MCL.
The labour payment certificates(LPC) of previous month alongwith bank records of workers in support of payment of salary, CMPF bank draft or cheques are produced before the MCL by the contractors. But, here the contractors are alleged to have forged bank records showing payment of salary and CMPF to workers to loot huge amounts from MCL.
The forged documents were made by the contractors preparing bank seals themselves and fake draft and cheques. On receipt of these forged bank documents, MCL issued paper bills, sources informed.
This appears to have been done in connivance with bank officials also. If proper investigation is made, more things will come to light about the involvement of unscrupulous PAP workers, MCL and bank officials engaged in the scandal, opined many here.
Meanwhile, frequent meetings were held by PAP societies after the forgery of BPCL came to light. They are trying to regularise the forged documents and making payments of CMPF dues in some cases. Some PAP workers are trying to take legal remedies to escape arrest also.