The Chhattisgarh Economic Offence Wing/Anti-Corruption Bureau (EOW/ACB) has filed separate FIRs related to two alleged scams that occurred during the previous Congress administration in the state.
These FIRs – one each in connection with the alleged District Mineral Foundation (DMF) and custom rice milling scams – have been registered based on a complaint by the Directorate of Enforcement which was probing corruption in both cases. A senior ACB official said the FIRs were registered earlier this month.
Official in custody
Several civil servants, besides contractors, businessmen and others have been named. These include Ranu Sahu, a bureaucrat who is in judicial custody for her alleged involvement in the coal levy scam, a widely discussed case of purported corruption. On January 17, the EOW/ACB lodged two separate FIRS in connection with the alleged coal levy and liquor scams, naming around 100 people, including several Congress leaders.
In the case pertaining to DMF – a trust, set up as a non-profit body in all districts of Chhattisgarh to work for people and sites affected by mining – the ED has alleged large-scale financial irregularities in the allotment of tenders by the DMF in Korba district.
A government statement said there was wrongdoing in determining tenders which resulted in illegal benefits to bidders, causing financial losses to the State.
“Prima facie, it has been found that (IAS officer) Ranu Sahu and other public servants, misused their positions and hatched a criminal conspiracy in connivance with various bidders for allotment of various tenders, and to pass and clear bills for more than the actual value of any item and obtain payments, and ensure illegal benefit to these bidders and middlemen,” the statement reads.
Custom milling case
In the other case, the ED’s report documents alleged irregularities identified in the process of depositing rice with the state Civil Supplies Corporation and the Food Corporation of India (FCI) by rice millers after custom milling of rice.
“Various government officials misused their position and colluded with the rice millers and received undue benefits causing financial loss to the government,” the government statement read.
The statement added that the then District Marketing Officer of Chhattisgarh State Cooperative Marketing Federation Limited (CG-Markfed) of Korba --Preetika Pooja Kerketta was instructed by Manoj Soni, the then Managing Director (Markfed), through Roshan Chandrakar that only the bills of those rice millers who paid commission, will be settled. MARKFED is an Apex level Federation of Cooperative Marketing Societies in the State of Chhatttisgarh.
The statement also referred to a search operation conducted by the Income Tax Department in the past, unaccounted cash, amounting to approximately ₹1.06 crore, along with several incriminating documents and digital devices were purportedly recovered. It pegged the value of these recoveries from rice millers at around ₹140 crore.
