VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, May 29: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has sent a summon to the Sahibganj Nav Yatayat Sahyog Samiti Limited (SNYSSL) to furnish the log books related to transportation of trucks and other items to Bihar through the ferry service on the river Ganga.
The SNYSSL runs ferry services on the river Ganga between Sahibganj and Katihar district in Bihar. Hulas Choudhary, the secretary of SNYSSL has been served a notice to submit log books containing details of the trucks dispatched from Sahibganj to Katihar, to-and-fro. The SNYSSL has been asked to submit details of dispatch made from notified ferry ghats in Sahibganj (Jharkhand) and Katihar (Bihar) besides any other ghats which are not notified.
The ED wants to ascertain consignments trucks carried were stone chips and whether the mining department had issued transportation permit and GST and royalty were duly paid to the government.
The ED investigating the money laundering case against IAS Pooja Singhal in a MNREGA related case has expanded the probe covering illegal mining and illegal transportation of minor and major minerals. This is because of the fact that the ED got certain incriminating evidence that Pooja Singhal as secretary of the mining and geology department patronized illegal mining in collusion with mining department officials and received kickbacks from mining mafias.
Sahibganj is the minefield of the illegal mining activities and there are allegations that stone chips laden trucks are ferried to Bihar without having a transportation permit. Stone chips are transported out of Jharkhand via Ganga waterways without paying GST and royalty to the government. It is alleged that the SNYSSL charges exorbitant amounts from such truckers to safely ferry their trucks to Bihar.
The SNYSSL has been operating the ferry service from the last two consecutive terms. The SNYSSL is allowed to conduct ferry service between Manihari ghat (Katihar) and Samda ghat (Sahibganj). According to the terms of the settlement, vessels are to be plied only during sunrise and sunset. But the vessels are being plied at night. The SNYSSL is further accused of illegally operating ferry service between Garam ghat (Sahibganj) and Khutti Ghat (Katihar). Garam Ghat and Khutti Ghat are the illegal ghat where a cargo ship accident had taken place. If documents are relied upon, the majority of the illegal transportation takes place from Garam Ghat where on average not less than 300 trucks were sent to Bihar.
