Chhattisgarh: EOW-ACB registers cases in alleged DMF, custom rice milling scams on ED's plaint

Raipur: Chhattisgarh Economic Offence Wing/ACB has registered separate FIRs in the alleged District Mineral Foundation and custom rice milling scams on the complaint of the ED, which had launched a probe into purported corruption in both cases when the Congress was in power in the state.

The FIRs were registered based on the complaint of the Enforcement Directorate this month and have named civil servants, contractors, and others as accused, a government official said on Monday.

In the DMF case, (IAS officer) Ranu Sahu and other public servants prima facie misused their positions and hatched a criminal conspiracy in connivance with various bidders, a state government statement said.

"The ED had shared the information with reference to DMF and rice (custom milling) matters with the state government following which the EOW/ACB registered FIRs," Enforcement Directorate's counsel Sourabh Pandey told PTI.

In its report, the ED claimed large-scale financial irregularities in the allotment of tenders under the DMF in Korba district. It also stated that illegal benefits were given to the bidders by wrongly determining the tenders, which caused financial loss to the state, as per the government statement.

It was also found that about 40 per cent of the total tender amount was allegedly given to public servants in lieu of the act and they also obtained commission at different rates between 15 to 20 per cent on the tenders from bidders, it said.

Financial irregularities have been committed in DMF in different districts, it added.

DMF is a trust, set up as a non-profit body in all districts of Chhattisgarh to work for the interest and benefit of persons and areas affected by mining-related operations.

"Prima facie, it has been found that (IAS officer) Ranu Sahu and other public servants, misused their positions and hatched a criminal conspiracy in connivance with various bidders for allotment of various tenders, in order to pass bills, clearing bills of more value than the actual value of any item and obtaining their payments etc and ensure illegal benefit to these bidders and middlemen," as per the statement.

Sahu, a Chhattisgarh-cadre IAS officer of the 2010 batch, was arrested last July by the ED in connection with the alleged coal levy scam. She had served as collector of Korba and Raigarh districts during the previous Congress government.

In another statement on the FIR in the custom milling case, the government said the ED's report claimed that corruption had been committed in the process of depositing rice to the state Civil Supplies Corporation and the Food Corporation of India (FCI) by rice millers after custom milling of rice.

"As per the complaint by the ED, ..in this process, corruption was done on a large scale and money was collected on the basis of per quintal. Various government officials misused their position and colluded with the rice millers and received undue benefits causing financial loss to the government," it said.

The statement stated that the then District Marketing Officer of Chhattisgarh State Cooperative Marketing Federation Limited (CG-Markfed) of Korba --Preetika Pooja Kerketta was instructed by Manoj Soni, the then Managing Director (Markfed), through Roshan Chandrakar that the bills of only those rice millers who gave commission money, will be only be paid.

In a search operation conducted by the Income Tax Department in the past, unaccounted cash, amounting to approximately Rs 1.06 crore, along with several incriminating documents and digital devices were recovered in the case. The investigation has found illegal recovery worth around Rs 140 crore from rice millers, it said.

Soni, Kerketta, president of Chhattisgarh State Rice Millers Association Kailash Rungta, its vice president Parasmal Chopra and treasurer Roshan Chandrakar were allegedly involved in this criminal conspiracy, the release claimed quoting the ED report.

Meanwhile, on January 17, the EOW/ACB lodged two separate FIRS in connection with alleged coal levy and liquor scams.

Around 70 people, including several Congress leaders, were named in the FIR related to the alleged liquor scam, while 35 were named in the coal levy scam.