VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, June 17: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is said to be probing the role of a Kolkata-based businessman in the illegal transportation of stone chips through ferry service in the river Ganga.
The internal communication has revealed that one Shyamal Sirkar of Krishna Shipping Logistics sublet his vessels to the Sahibganj Nav Yatayat Sahyog Samiti Limited (SNYSSL). The Samiti is authorized to operate the ferry service between Sahibganj to Katihar (Bihar) on the river Ganga. Shyamal Sirkar is said to have provided a number of vessels to the Samiti including Chitangada-Rajdhani, Tidal 3, Tidal 4, and Tidal 5-6. It was the Chitangada-Rajdhani vessel that met with an accident in March this year while carrying a number of stone chips laden trucks at night time to Bihar.
It is alleged that the ferry service is being used for the illegal transportation of stone chips from Sahibganj to Bihar and other places. It has been alleged that Shyamal Sirkar allows his vessels for illegal transportation. As per the contract Krishna Shipping Logistics has to manage the entire operation including the crew staff and is fully responsible for the operation. Shyamal Sirkar is accused of allowing overloading and operation of vessels even after sunset. As per the agreement Samiti has to pay annual rent to the company for hiring vessels. But strangely the Samiti and the company have hardly any business transactions. A third Sahibganj-based local transport company seems to be making payments. This has led ED to believe that the SNYSSL is managed by some mining mafias.
