The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday conducted raids on residence and office of iron ore lease holder and sponge iron maker Prashant Ahluwalia at Rourkela.
The central investigation team also raided the lessee’s head office at Barbil in Keonjhar district, its Delhi office and sponge iron factory at Satna (Madhya Pradesh) in connection with Ahluwalia’s alleged ties with some coal scam tainted companies.
The firms controlled by KJS Ahluwalia (brother of Prashant) like Hima Ispat (based in Keonjhar-Odisha) and Kamal Sponge Steel & Power Ltd (based at Satna-Madhya Pradesh) with interests in sponge iron production and iron ore mining have applied for coal blocks in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
The raids are being carried out by three CBI teams. The CBI sleuths are understood to have seized some papers during the raid.
Meanwhile, the Odisha government denied any knowledge of the CBI raids.
“I am not aware if the CBI is raiding the offices of Prashant Ahluwalia. The matter will be examined after I return to Odisha. Our department will also check if Ahluwalia was an applicant for coal block,” Odisha steel & mines secretary Rajesh Verma told Business Standard over the phone from New Delhi.
“They (CBI) have not informed us anything on the matter nor has the state government been asked to furnish any information on leases held by Prashant Ahluwalia,” said mines director Deepak Mohanty.
Ahluwalia did not respond to repeated phone calls. An official of Kaypee Enterprise where Ahluwalia holds a key position said, “In my knowledge, we have not made any application for any coal block.”
A source at CBI-Bhubaneswar said, “These raids are being done at the behest of our Delhi office. We don't know the reason or the purpose and are merely complying with the instruction of our head office.”
It may be noted that in June this year, the Deputy Director of Mines (DDM) of Joda mining circle had shut down two mines - Thakurani and Nuagaon iron ore mines owned by Ahluwalia family after raids were conducted on their homes and offices by the state sales tax and vigilance sleuths.
Apart from iron ore and manganese mines in Joda and Koira mining circles, Prashant Alhuwalia owns a sponge iron factory and a mining crusher unit. The tax sleuths had also searched the house of K J S Ahluwalia, the mine owner and brother of Prashant Alhuwalia and his offices in Rourkela and Barbil. Alhuwalia has been in dock for violation of Rule 37 of Mineral Concession Rules- 1960 which says that mine lease holders cannot sublet their mine or transfer their lease right to any other entity.
KJS Ahluwalia has the lease right for Nuagaon and Panduliposi mines in Joda circle while Kaypee Enterprise, where Prashant Ahluwalia holds a key position, owns the Thakurani mines in the same area.
