CBI books private firm, unidentified railway officials in Rs 28.80 lakh coal misappropriation case

Nagpur, Jul 13 (PTI) The Central Bureau of Investigation booked a private contractor, unknown personnel of South East Central Railway (SECR) and others for allegedly misappropriating coal worth Rs 28.80 lakh from Dumri Khurd railway siding near Nagpur, an official said on Monday.The CBI's Anti-Corruption Branch in Nagpur has registered a case against M/s S J Enterprises, its owner Amit Maity, unknown SECR officials and others under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Prevention of Corruption Act, he added. According to the CBI, S J Enterprises, which had been awarded a contract by SECR to clean BOXN wagons, railway tracks and goods shed platforms, allegedly collected usable coal under the pretext of removing reject or waste material. The agency said the firm later sold the coal in the open market, causing a financial loss to Western Coalfields Limited (WCL). The CBI as well as vigilance teams from SECR and WCL carried out a joint surprise inspection at Dumri Khurd railway station and siding on May 21 this year, and found the contractor collecting coal from wagons and tracks and stacking it inside the railway premises. "Around 1,427 metric tonnes of coal was found at the site. Samples were collected and sent to CSIR-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CIMFR), Nagpur, which confirmed that the stock was G-12 grade coal," the official said. The probe further revealed that WCL had already appointed M/s Chadda Trading Company for coal handling and cleaning work at the Dumri Khurd railway siding, which is leased by WCL from SECR. "Despite this, M/s S J Enterprises allegedly lifted coal from the WCL siding and dumped it near the railway station. Unknown SECR officials, acting in connivance with the contractor, fraudulently issued 18 gate passes on March 21 and March 24 showing the material as reject or waste coal," the agency said. Using these passes, the firm allegedly removed 720 metric tonnes of G-12 grade coal and sold it in the open market. G-12 coal is supplied by WCL to power generation companies at a subsidised rate of around Rs 2,400 per tonne, while its market value is between Rs 4,000 and Rs 4,200 per tonne, as per the CBI. This alleged diversion of coal is estimated to have resulted in wrongful gain of Rs 28.80 lakh to the contractor and a corresponding loss to WCL, it added. PTI COR BNM