Kolkata, Jan 7 The name of the company involved in excavation work at the Deocha-Pachami coal mining project in West Bengal has figured in the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) chargesheet in connection with the sand smuggling case.
According to sources, the ED has mentioned the name of Pachami Basalt Mining Limited in the charge sheet. The owner of GD Mining, Arun Sharaf, who was arrested in the sand smuggling case, had allegedly invested money generated from sand smuggling into this company.
The ED has alleged that the money also flowed through GD Mining as part of the laundering process.
Incidentally, CPI(M) state secretary Md Salim had earlier raised questions about Pachami Basalt Mining Limited winning the tender for the Deocha-Pachami project in West Bengal’s Birbhum district. Now, the inclusion of the company’s name in the ED’s charge sheet has sparked fresh controversy in political circles.
The investigating agency has claimed that money generated from sand smuggling was laundered through this company. It may be noted that the state government cancelled the tender awarded to Pachami Basalt Mining Limited around fifteen days before the ED filed its charge sheet in the sand smuggling case.
On the other hand, while the charge sheet mentions corruption worth approximately Rs 145 crore through GD Mining in the sand smuggling case, it does not specify the final destination of that money. Although lakhs of rupees were recovered during searches conducted at the residence of Midnapore-based sand trader Sourav Roy and at other locations, this recovery has reportedly not been mentioned in the charge sheet.
According to sources in the state power department, the Deocha-Pachami coal block is set to become India’s largest coal mine. The project is being developed across approximately 3,400 acres of land. However, the coal mine has been mired in controversy from the very beginning.
Various complications arose over coal extraction and land acquisition. Landowners launched major protest movements, leading to a prolonged stalemate, delays in the execution of the project and significant political unrest. However, in the end, the land-related dispute was largely resolved.
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