Journalism of Courage
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered another preliminary enquiry (PE) in connection with the Radia tapes,to probe coal block allocation to a power project in Sasan,Madhya Pradesh,run by Anil Ambanis ADAG. The PE was registered on the direction of the Supreme Court,which had asked the CBI to probe 14 issues including supply of low floor buses by Tata Motors to Tamil Nadu government,grant of spectrum and alleged market manipulations and hammering of stocks by Unitech,among others.
The agency said that the PE had been registered to probe coal blocks allotment to Sasan Ultra Mega Power Project and that it would have to file a status report to the SC by December 15. Other PEs registered by the CBI also include alleged favours shown to the then Director General (Hydro Carbons) by the Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries,working of touts and middlemen in aviation sector and income tax officials for alleged abuse of their official positions.
An ADAG spokesperson said,We welcome the independent time-bound enquiries by the CBI,monitored by the Honble Supreme Court,which will clearly establish our bona fides,and once and for all prove beyond doubt that we have been the unfortunate victims of a mischievous campaign of calumny and vilification conducted at the behest of our unscrupulous corporate rivals over the past 5 years.
The allocation to the Sasan project was done to a 100 per cent government-owned company in 2006 when our company Reliance Power,had not even won the project. Government disinvested its shares to Reliance pursuant to a global tender in the year 2007. The use of surplus coal from the Sasan UMPP has been approved on two separate occasions by two EGoMs, his statement said.
