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New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
Thursday filed a preliminary enquiry into the allocation of coal
blocks since 1993, officials said.
"The preliminary enquiry is against unknown public servants and
certain private firms," said sources in the agency.
The agency, which is already probing coal blocks allocation during
the period 2006-2009, registered the new preliminary enquiry on
Central Vigilance Commission's (CVC) reference to check alleged
irregularities in allotment of coal blocks from 1993 to 2004.
According to the sources, the agency will now study each and every
allotment since 1993 and question the directors of companies and
the then bureaucrats of central and state governments about the
coal blocks.
As part of their investigation, the CBI will seek a list of
relevant data and list of officials and ministers, involved in the
process of coal allocation at all levels, from the coal ministry.
The CVC had on Monday asked the CBI to probe all coal block
allocations since 1993.
The CBI was also asked to find out the system put in place for
selection of companies for coal block allocation between 1993 to
2004, whether these guidelines were followed and how joint venture
partners were selected.
The country's top anti-corruption authority had earlier this year,
tasked the CBI with probe into the allotment of coal blocks made
between 2006 and 2009.
A preliminary enquiry to examine the irregularities, if any, in
the allocation of coal blocks by coal ministry during 2006-09 was
initiated on a reference from the CVC in June.
The official auditor, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)
had, in a recent report, estimated undue benefits of Rs.1.86 lakh
crore to private firms due to allocation of coal blocks without
auction.
The CBI had earlier this month registered two batches of FIRs
(first information reports) against seven private companies, their
directors and some public administrative officials and is
understood to be filing a third batch of FIRs soon.
In its first batch of FIRs, the CBI registered five cases against
five companies and their directors, including some public
administrative officials, and conducted searches at 30 locations
on Sep 4.
In the second phase, the agency booked two private companies,
Vikash Metals and Powers Limited and Grace Industries, and their
directors in two separate cases on Sep 22 and raided offices of
the firms in seven cities.
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