The Anti-Corruption Bureau of CBI on Friday conducted raids at the residential premises of CCl ex-General Manager (Sales and Marketing) Rajeev Gupta at Kanke Road here along with the official premises of three coal companies in Kolkata in coal tapering scam. The CCl officer has been charged with allowing those companies to lift coal on subsidised rates even after they were allotted coal blocks in their names for supply to their respective Sponge Iron and Steel Plants.
“The three companies were allotted coal blocks for supply to their respective captive sponge and iron plants. In the mean time, those three companies entered into a coal linkage agreement with CCl for supply of coal on subsidised rate till the time their coal block became operational,” said a CBI official requesting anonymity. As per the provision in the agreement, the supplies from the CCl mines to these companies will not be subsidised after their own coal blocks become operational, rather add on charges of 20 to 40 per cent will be charged per metric tonne for lifting coal, he added.
The list of the companies of which official premises were raided in Kolkata includes M/S Adhunik Alloys and Power limited, Rungta Mines and Balaji Industries.
According to the FIR lodged by the CBI, these three companies connived with the CCl official Rajeev Gupta in furtherance to which they kept on lifting coal from the mines of the CCl at a subsidised rate even after the coal blocks were allotted to them. The CCl officer has been charged of allowing the three companies to lift coal without charging any add on charges to them.
A total of four teams were put in for the raids at each of the locations. “No arresting has been done so far in this case,” he added.
“No arresting has been done so far in this regard,” said the officer. The CBI sleuths questioned the CCl officer for several hours and also checked several documents at his Rashmirathi Apartment based flat in Kanke Road, added the CBI officer.