E-Paper
Cong alleges scam in coal mine allocation in C'garh
The opposition Congress today alleged a scam in the allocation of coal mines in Chhattisgarh and sought a CBI probe, while chief minister Raman Singh said that the state government had no role in the coal block allotment.
The opposition Congress on Friday alleged a scam in the allocation of coal mines in Chhattisgarh and sought a CBI probe, while chief minister Raman Singh said that the state government had no role in the coal block allotment.
Chhattisgarh Congress chief Nandkumar Patel told reporters here that the state government had "conspired" to allot Bhatgaon-2 and Bhatgaon-2 extension coal blocks to Nagpur-based SMS Infrastructure Ltd and Solar Explosive Ltd, which caused a loss of Rs. 1,052 crore to the exchequer.
However, brushing aside the charges against his government's role in the alleged coal scam, Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh said in Indore that the allotment of coal blocks was the responsibility of the union government, the mining department as well as the Screening Committee and that the state government had no role in it.
"Coal block allocation is not the prerogative of the state...It was government Of India, the mining department and the Screening Committee which used to decide and finalise it," the chief minister told reporters in Raipur after an event.
The chief minister was reacting to a query whether the two coal blocks were approved on by his government.
Any state government could only recommend to the Centre about alloting coal blocks, Singh said.
"It was surprising alloted six coal blocks of Chattisgarh were not recommended by my government and without any application", he said.
Meanwhile, Gaurishankar Agarwal, chairman of Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation, denied Congress' allegations and said that the allotment was as per the norms and the calculations of revenue loss by the CAG were "imaginary".
