As the CAG report on Coalgate is set to be presented duringthe monsoon session of parliament and give ammunition to the Opposition, theCBI is examining the role of four opposition ruled states ” Orissa, WestBengal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.
Since coal blocks were allotted by the screening committeeheaded by coal secretary who functions under the coal minister (In this casethe Prime Minister for three years), the Opposition is targeting Manmohan Singhfor the scam.
Sources say that the CBI is expected to register a regularcase against some of these private companies and officials of the coal ministryand unknown officials in states by mid-August.
The centre had also been arguing that state governments arealso members of the screening committee and were part of the sanction processfor coal mines. The CBI has found that irregularities in allotment of coalblocks took place mostly in these four states.
After scrutinising documents received from the ministry ofcoal, officials of these state governments could be in trouble as the CBI haslearnt that major coal blocks allotment to private companies were made onrecommendations from these state governments. Interestingly, all the fourstates are being ruled by non-Congress governments.
A senior CBI official claimed that these four stategovernments influenced allotment of coal blocks by making strongrecommendations in favour of some private entities (companies). “We are lookinginto the MoUs that state governments have signed with the companies to whom theblocks were allocated. In fact, we have suspicion that some of these entitieswere ineligible and some used front companies to get allocations in theirfavour.”
CBI officials believe that the four state governments playeda crucial role in deciding coal block allotment to a particular private companywhich was not all eligible for allotment.
The CBI learnt that for the period 2006-2009 more than 60coal blocks were allocated to private companies after an approval of thescreening committee. The allocation was then cleared by the prime minister’soffice, as Manmohan Singh was looking after the additional charge of the coalministry. The CBI is scrutinising the details of seven screening committeemeetings from 2005 to 2008. A total of 146 private companies were selectedduring this period out of 1,422 applicants.
The CBI will also examine the officials of the stategovernment who were part of this process once the records from these states arealso made available to the agency.
