Raipur: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai announced in the Assembly the scrapping of an order issued by the previous Congress government concerning the issuance of permits for coal transportation in the state via offline methods.
The decision aims to revert to the previous system of obtaining transport permits for coal through online channels. The Chief Minister announced this initiative in the state Assembly, emphasizing his administration's dedication to transparency and ensuring corruption-free governance.
Rajesh Munat from the BJP brought up the matter of coal transportation and the associated permits through a call attention notice. He highlighted that before July 15, 2020, there existed an online procedure for obtaining permits for coal transportation from mines, along with other requisite approvals, all of which were processed online.
The MLA from the ruling party pointed out that the state's mineral resources department made modifications to the system, transitioning to an offline mode for issuing permits through a notification dated July 15, 2020, during the previous Congress government. This change, according to the MLA, resulted in fostering illegal levies on coal transportation and corruption.
Here's what CM Sai said
In his response, Chief Minister Sai, who also oversees the mineral resources portfolio, mentioned that previously, mine lease holders had the convenience of obtaining an e-permit and e-transit pass for mineral transportation through the 'Khanij Online Portal' of the department, eliminating the need for physical visits to its office.
"But after the order of July 15, 2020, a system was created wherein an e-transit pass was issued after physical verification of the e-permit by department officials. The system led to human intervention in the online process that resulted in allegations of corruption," he said.
The director of the geology and mining department, who issued the order in 2020, is presently incarcerated due to his alleged involvement in a coal levy scam under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate. The implementation of the new system resulted in delays in the issuance of electronic transit permits (ETPs) and disrupted coal extraction from mines, leading to revenue losses for the government, the Chief Minister explained.
He further said that the Centre had written letters twice to the state government raising objections over the new system. "The human intervention in the process also encouraged extortion and corruption and maligned the image of the state in the country. The then-director of the department was Sameer Bishnoi, an IAS officer, who is currently lodged in jail," Sai said.
The ED probed allegations of extortion in coal transportation and submitted a chargesheet in a court and the matter is under trial. Besides, a separate case was lodged by the state's Anti-Corruption Bureau based on an ED complaint and the matter was under investigation, he said.
Following this, BJP legislator Munat inquired whether the state government would advocate for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the issue and also whether the previous system of online permit issuance for coal transportation would be restored.
"Our government is committed to transparency, providing good and corruption-free governance. Therefore, I announce to cancel the order issued by the then-director of the (geology and mining) department on July 15, 2020," CM Sai said in the House.
ED probe scam
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has been investigating an alleged scam since 2022 involving the illegal levy of Rs 25 per tonne for every tonne of coal transported in Chhattisgarh by a cartel comprising senior bureaucrats, businessmen, politicians, and middlemen.
Several individuals, including IAS officers Sameer Bishnoi and Ranu Sahu, state administrative service officer Soumya Chaurasia, businessman Suryakant Tiwari, and others, were arrested by the central agency in connection with the case.
The ED claimed that Suryakant Tiwari, described as the "scam kingpin," had significant influence in the state bureaucracy primarily due to his association with Chaurasia.
Last month, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) registered an FIR based on the ED's complaint in the alleged coal levy scam. The FIR named 35 individuals, including former state minister Amarjeet Bhagat, incumbent Congress MLA Devendra Yadav, former MLAs UD Minj, Gulab Kamro, Chandradev Prasad Rai, Shishupal Sori, and Birhaspat Singh, along with IAS officers Bishnoi and Sahu, and Chaurasia as accused.
(With PTI inputs)
