VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, June 2: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is said to be examining whether the cargo ship accident in the river Ganga was a corollary of the illegal mining and transportation in the Sahibganj district. The ED is learnt to have procured and done scrutiny of some of the available documents and evidence and it is likely to summon persons concerned.
The ED examining the money laundering probe against IAS Pooja Singhal in the MNREGA scam matter has extended the ambit of the probe covering illegal mining and transportation. Sahibganj, Dumka, and Pakur are said to be the hub of illegal mining and the ED also questioned the mining officers of these three districts.
Notably, on the night of March 24, the Rajdhani cargo ship carrying over a dozen stone chips laden trucks ferrying to Katihar from Sahibganj in the river Ganga met with an accident near Khuti ghat under Manihari police station of Katihar district in Bihar.
The body of one labourer Jubair Alam (19) of Manihari could be recovered whose father Abdul Khalil lodged an FIR under sections 280 (rash navigation of vessel), 282 (Conveying person by water for hire in an unsafe or overloaded vessel), 337 and 338 (doing any act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life), 304 A (causing death by negligence) and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of IPC.
Abdul Khalil claimed that there were around six persons on the deck of that ship out of which two or three persons could save their life. One more labourer Vicky Mahaldar of Bengal was on the deck and he is said to be still missing as Abdul Khalil. It is not clear how many trucks fell in the Ganga, but the rescue team could fish out around five trucks.
There are allegations that the ship was plying between Garam ghat (Sahibganj) and Khuti ghat (Katihar) which are the two illegally operated ghats.
Sahibganj Nav Yatayat Sahyog Samiti Limited (SNYSSL) runs ferry services on the river Ganga between Sahibganj and Katihar. It is authorized to operate between Samad ghat (Sahibganj) and Manihari ghat (Katihar).
Sahibganj is a minefield of 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 SNYSSL charges exorbitant amounts from such truckers to safely ferry their trucks to Bihar.
