CBI to quiz TKA Nair in coal block scam

CBI will by end of this month record the statement of PM advisor TKA Nair for clarifications over allocation of captive coal blocks to allegedly ineligible private firms during 2006-09 by the coal ministry as part of its probe.

CBI will by end of this month record the statement of PM advisor TKA Nair for clarifications over allocation of captive coal blocks to allegedly ineligible private firms during 2006-09 by the coal ministry as part of its probe.

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Nair’s statement will be treated as a witness testimony about allocation-related alleged irregularities, including inept verification of claims made in the application and feedback forms by coal block applicant firms accused of misrepresentations by the CBI in 13 of its scam cases, said a senior CBI official. Nair was the principal secretary to the Prime Minister during 2006-09, when Singh had held the coal ministry portfolio.

“We will record TKA Nair’s statement within the next 10 days. We may do this before the agency submits its final reports in five of its coal scam cases before March 26 or 28,” said the official.

The CBI’s probe in 13 of its coal-scam FIRs, out of the 16 FIRs filed by it so far, has established that the coal ministry had allocated coal blocks to applicant firms despite their alleged misrepresentations related to the basic criteria then prevalent, according to the source. “We will quiz Nair to understand at what level the verification-related lapses occurred in the inter-play among the coal ministry, the inter-ministerial screening committee, the PMO and the states,” said the official.

Despite attempts, Nair and officials at the PMO remained unavailable for comments.