Before the chargesheet, Rajnish Rai’s report on Uranium Corp

In his application before the CAT, Rai states his probe found corruption in awarding “work of removal of overburden/waste and extraction of uranium ore at Banduhurang opencast mine” through a public tender.

Rajnish Rai

The report that led to the home ministry chargesheeting Rajnish Rai, a Gujarat-cadre IPS officer, was about alleged corruption in awarding tenders and alleged lack of adherence to safety norms in the Uranium Corporation of India Limited, where he was Central Vigilance Officer on deputation in 2014-15. The chargesheet was on the ground that Rai had acted “without due approval from the competent authority”; the Hyderabad bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal stayed the investigation against Rai Monday.

In his application before the CAT, Rai states his probe found corruption in awarding “work of removal of overburden/waste and extraction of uranium ore at Banduhurang opencast mine” through a public tender. He alleged an Ahmedabad-based engineering firm was awarded this work despite bidding higher than a Delhi-based firm that quoted Rs 46 crore less. His report, annexed with the application, opined that an FIR could be lodged against the Ahmedabad firm and UCIL officials for conspiracy and corruption.

Rai also probed “the matter relating to radioactive pollution caused by UCIL and misappropriation of funds at UCIL while decommissioning two uranium recovery plants [Mosabani and Rakha] in the early 2000s”. His report alleged the decommissioning was done without approval from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and without adequate safeguards, and added that “a questionable decision has now been taken to commission a new URP at Mosabani at the cost of Rs 50 crore at the same site where the earlier plant existed and was decommissioned”.

His report questioned the AERB’s role, alleging it attempted “to cover up the illegal acts of UCIL and its reluctance to enforce its legal mandate and pursue the issue to its logical conclusion emboldened UCIL to violate the law with impunity…”

Rai recommended a probe by a special investigation team of police officers and experts. He recommended that a study of potential damage to locals “on account of radiation hazards during the decommissioning and its aftermath be also undertaken and, if need be, the victims be compensated/rehabilitated…”

His probe mentioned several UCIL officers who allegedly misused their position for financial gains. He wrote that while he was probing their roles, he was transferred. According to his application before the CAT, he sought the status of his report through RTI which stated that nothing has been done yet.

Rai also investigated and found “several procedural and management failures in the implementation of the Tumallapalle Project” in Andhra Pradesh which resulted in a loss of over Rs 970 crore. His report noted “gaps in conceptualisation of the project and and financial and procedural irregularities committed in the implementation of the project”. He recommended a performance audit report to be carried out by “CAG to independently, objectively and reliably examine whether Tummalapalle Project is being executed and/or functioning in accordance with the principles of economy, efficiency and effectiveness”.

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He recommended a criminal case against officials of UCIL, Jaduguda, and a Nagpur-based firm that was allowed to “claim higher escalation for wages and materials, thereby causing a wrongful loss of Rs 117,61,35,449 and corresponding wrongful gain to M/s SMS Infrastructure, Nagpur, during the period August 2008 to January 2015.”

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