Lease transfer: Mine dept officials, pvt firm directors booked

The Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau has filed an FIR against the Mines Department, former shareholders of Gotan Limestone Khanji Udyog Pvt Ltd and directors of UltraTech Cement for alleged illegal transfer of a limestone mine in Gotan area in Nagaur district.
The FIR was filed last week on a complaint by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya against former shareholders of Gotan Limestone Khanji Udyog Pvt Ltd Ram Vallabh Chauhan, Suresh Chauhan, Ramesh Chauhan and Ram Avtar Chauhan, its present directors CK Birla, R Mohnot and M B Aggarwal, the Director of Mines and Geology and other concerned officials of the department, an ACB official said.

The matter is related to the mine lease which was initially allotted to partnership firm Gotan Limestone Khanij Udyog.
Its partners formed a private limited company in March 2012 and got the lease transferred, despite the rule that lease of natural resources cannot be transferred or sold or sub-leased, under political influence during the previous regime, complainant Somaiya had alleged in his complaint submitted in May this year.
"After the lease was transferred, the company sold its stake to UltraTech in August 2012. The four shareholders (Chauhan brothers) resigned and three directors of the UtraTech (CK Birla, R Mohnot and M B Aggarwal) Cement took over.

"This way, the lease was sold to UltraTech Cement under a conspiracy and the Mines department officials facilitated it," Somaiya alleged.
After verification of the facts and examining papers, the FIR was registered against the accused under relevant sections of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act, according to the ACB official. No one from the cement company was available for comment.