Coal ministry submits report on missing files to CBI

Min is understood to have stated that few files are untraceable despite best effort to locate them

The coal ministry on Monday gave its report on the missing files related to coal reserves’ allocation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

While officials were tight-lipped over its contents, the ministry is understood to have stated in the report that a few files were untraceable despite its best efforts to locate these. “The report to the CBI is accompanied by a letter stating the agency might, according to Supreme Court directions, investigate and enquire into the matter further,” said a senior ministry official.

The probe agency is currently enquiring into alleged irregularities in allocations which have led to a political controversy, with opposition parties alleging the ruling United Progressive Alliance government is trying to hide details of the process.

The CBI is likely to register more First Information Reports in the coal scam investigation.

CBI Director Ranjit Sinha had earlier this month said the agency would not be able to file chargesheets in some of the cases if it does not get access to certain missing files.

The CBI is likely to register more first information reports in the coal scam investigation. Sinha also said it is too early to decide whether questioning of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is required in the matter.

The Supreme Court had, on August 29, directed the CBI to furnish a comprehensive list of documents which are yet to be received from the government.

The apex court had asked the government to make the documents available in two weeks. That deadline ended on Monday.

“We have been able to locate most of the documents that were missing,” the official said.

The CBI had, through Attorney General Goolam E Vahanvati, provided a fresh list of documents to the ministry containing outstanding papers yet to be furnished for the probe in alleged irregularities in coal block allocations between 1993 and 2009.

The new list contains 26 papers related to allocations for over two dozen companies including Tata Sponge Iron Ltd, Sunflag Iron & Steel, Adhunik Corp, Jharkhand Ispat, Rathi Steel & Power, Pushp Steel & Mining and Bhushan Power & Steel. The list also contains a recommendation letter from former Member of Parliament Vijay Darda, forwarded by the Prime Minister’s Office, for allocation of Bander coal block to AMR Iron & Steel and a report of Coal India’s experts on the financial strength of applicant companies.

An inter-ministerial committee headed by the coal ministry’s additional secretary A K Dubey, formed with the sole purpose of locating the missing documents earlier, has met five times so far. In addition, multiple search committees with representatives from power, coal, steel and commerce ministries have been searching for the documents over the past month.