Subsidised coal meant for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) of Gujarat were diverted and sold to industries outside the State since 2008, resulting in a loss of ₹6,000 crores, the Congress alleged on Wednesday as it demanded a time-bound investigation by a siting judge of the Supreme Court.
Addressing a press conference, party spokesperson Gourav Vallabh alleged that nearly 60 lakh tonnes of coal meant for SMEs of Gujarat have been diverted by the State nominated agency that was appointed by the Industries Department of the State Government.
Mr. Vallabh also pointed out that former Chief Ministers, including Narendra Modi and Vijay Rupani as well as the present CM Bhupendrabhai Patel, have held the industry portfolio.
The Opposition party said the probe should also investigate the role of all the four Chief Ministers of Gujarat in the last 14 years, the period when the alleged scam happened.
“60 lakh tonnes of coal have gone ‘missing’. Will the Prime Mitra [friend] Minister say anything on this coal scam?” tweeted former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi as he tagged the report of leading daily Dainik Bhaskar that carried an investigative report on the issue.
Briefing reporters at the party headquarters, Mr. Vallabh said that the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in 2007 had come out with a scheme that offered subsidised coal for the State’s SMEs through the public sector undertaking, Coal India, and charged ₹1,800 – ₹3,000 per tonne.
However, instead of supplying to traders and industries, it was sold in other States at a price of ₹8,000 to ₹10,000 per tonne, he claimed.
“We demand that a time-bound investigation be done under a sitting judge of the Supreme Court. This investigation should probe the involvement of all the four Chief Ministers of Gujarat from 2008 till date in this ₹6,000 crore scam,” Mr. Vallabh said.
“The Enforcement Directorate, Serious Fraud Investigation Office, Income Tax department, Financial Intelligence Unit and other agencies should register a case and investigate as it is possible that fake bills have been created and Income Tax, Sales Tax and GST evaded,” he added.
