RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Jan.20: Managing director of Adhunik Power and Natural Resources Private Limited Mahesh Agrawal, whom the NIA has arrested for funding extremists on January 18 from Salt Lake in Kolkata and then taken in on day remand with the permission of the court for interrogation, revealed many things during his interrogation at the NIA office.
Even as NIA interrogated Agrawal at his office, a section of businessmen in the Jharkhand capital expressed their concern over the situation.
“Agrawal is paying the cost for his attempt to run a business in Jharkhand. Being a businessman is the biggest crime in Jharkhand, where police in extremist- affected areas prefer remaining inside the barrack after sunset and businessmen are expected to handle those obstructing them to carry out their business round the clock,” a businessman said.
The businessman said if the administration had played its role properly such a situation would not have come.
Asked how, the businessman said: “Before starting the Amrapali project, TPC operatives used to extort levy from coal traders according to the tender amount. In 2012, the work of Amrapali coal mines was to start and all the villagers of the affected villages were approached. A meeting was held between CCL and committee members including villagers wherein the demand for providing jobs to one person from every family and compensation for acquisition of land were placed before CCL.”
“At that time BGR Company took a tender for removal of overburden and digging out the coal. So general manager of CCL A.K.Thakur along with BGR Co approached leaders of TPC, which is an active militant group in the area for sorting out the problem. After the meeting it was decided that an amount at the rate of Rs 254 per MT would be collected from each transporter and DO holder in the name of committee for illegal distribution. It was decided that Rs 45 will go to labourers, Rs 30 to loader, Rs 30 to volunteer, Rs 28 to villagers who didn’t get a job in CCL, Rs 40 to TPC, Rs 39 to CCL, Rs 18 to police, Rs 3 to pollution and forest department, Rs 2 to media persons, Rs 4 to area in charge but this amount was deposited in CCL, Rs 5 for accidental cases, Rs 8 to owners whose land fell within road transportation and Rs 2 for other expenses. After the coal transporting business hampered due to high loading charges, the amount was reduced to Rs 200 per MT from July 2015. If law and order had been proper, such a situation would have never come. It is the failure of the administration which has forced the trader to seek the help of extremists to manage villagers and run mines,” the businessman said.
The businessman further said: “Until police personnel and other shareholders of the illegally collected amount are not caught, any action of NIA to end terror funding will be incomplete and seen as injustice with businessmen. NIA investigation revealed that the power companies operating in the Amrapali and Magadh Coal Mines in Chatra district had hand in gloves with the operatives of TPC either directly or through the delivery order holders and transporters in the Amrapali and Magadh coal mines area during the period but going beyond that it should also mention the role of police personnel to handle extremism in that area.”
A police official, however, said the businessman was arrested only after the Jharkhand High Court passed an order in this connection and did not give any relief to Agrawal and other businessmen.
“Businessmen were given the opportunity to go for judicial remedy,” the police official said.
