VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, Sept 26: The erstwhile BJP government led by Raghubar Das is not above the suspicion as far as illegal transportation of stone chips from Sahibganj is concerned.
Powerbrokers like Prem Prakash and his business partner Sanjay Choudhary seem to have a freehand to mint money out of illegal mining and transportation at that time also as it is in the case of the present government headed by Hemant Soren.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in its prosecution complaint (Chargesheet) related to the illegal mining worth over Rs 1000 crore has stated that Prem Prakash was involved in the illegal mining in collusion with Kolkata-based businessmen Sanjay Choudhary and Amit Agrawal besides Pankaj Mishra and others. He laundered and invested proceeds of crime through his companies.
The ED has stated that CTS Industries Limited (U24117WB2003PLC111345) where Sanjay Choudhary is one of the directors, has long been involved in transportation of stone chips through railway without the desired mining challans. The ED has also named companies like BSCI, SVYE, ADTG and a few others which are said to be the subsidiary of the CTS Industries.
The ED has submitted details of dispatch of stone chips through railways made by CTS Industries and others during FY 2015-16 till 2022-23 from Pirpainti railway station in Bihar which is situated close to Sahibganj. According to the ED, during this period CTS Industries and others booked 268 railway rakes for transportation of stone chips out of which 251 rakes were dispatched without a mining challans.
CTS Industries linked to Prem Prakash transported stone chips without mining challan
This covers a considerable period of the Raghubar Das government. Das remained Jharkhand Chief minister from December 28th 2014 till December 29th 2019. As per the report presented before the court, during FY 2015-16 till 2019-20, CTS Industries and others dispatched stone chips in 233 railway rakes and none had any mining challan. The highest number of rakes were booked in FY 2018-19— a total 117—and none had any mining challan. The ED stated that during 2015-16 a total of 16 rakes were booked by CTS Industries and BSCI and stone chips were dispatched without mining challan. Strangely in the next financial year only one rake was booked by CTS Industries and had no mining challan. In FY 2017-18, CTS Industries together with ADTG booked and dispatched 31 rakes. In FY 2019-20 the number of rakes booked in the name of CTS Industries and SVYE was 68. Such illegality caused a loss of Rs 100 Crore revenue to the government.
Prem Prakash received cash in crores from Kolkata-based Sanjay Choudhary
The ED has stated that a tandem of Prem Prakash and Sanjay Choudhary was at work in conducting illegal mining. The investigation has revealed that Prem Prakash received several crores from Sanjay Choudhary. Prem Prakash was hand in glove with Pankaj Mishra and others who are involved in illegal mining. He received huge cash as proceeds of crime that he used for personal gains. Prem Prakash, the ED said, used his political proximity and clouts for illegal activities and extraneous purposes. He influenced the administration also.
