CBI probe in UP illegal mining; Akhilesh Yadav under scanner

NEW DELHI: In a move that is likely to create a political storm in Uttar Pradesh on a day SP-BSP announced their alliance ahead of Lok Sabha elections, the Central Bureau of Investigation filed a case against 11 persons including UP cadre IAS officer B Chandrakala, SP MLC Ramesh Kumar Mishra and Sanjay Dixit (who fought 2017 state election on a BSP ticket) to probe alleged illegal mining of minor minerals in Hamirpur district.

The agency has been probing illegal mining in UP’s Shamli, Hamirpur, Saharanpur, Deoria, Fatehpur, Siddharth Nagar and Kaushambi districts as part of its seven Preliminary Enquiries (PEs) registered in 2017 on the order of Allahabad high court out of which three FIRs have been registered now.

CBI sources say that then mining ministers of UP including former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, who held the additional portfolio of mining in 2012-13, and SP leader Gayatri Prajapati are under the scanner and might be questioned.

CBI’s FIR, registered on January 2, stated, “the role of then mining ministers concerned during the relevant period may be looked into during the course of the investigation of the case”. Sources say that Akhilesh Yadav and Prajapati, who is now in Lucknow jail in a rape case, held the portfolios between 2012 and 2016.

Earlier, the agency had filed two FIRs pertaining to illegal mining in Kaushambi and Shamli districts in June and August 2017 respectively.

After converting its third PE into an FIR now, the agency teams on Saturday morning raided 14 places in Uttar Pradesh’s Hamirpur, Jalaun, Lucknow, Noida and Delhi which led to the recovery of cash over Rs 12.5 lakh, property documents, 1.8 kg gold etc. Among others named in the FIR include Dinesh Kumar Mishra (Ramesh Kumar Mishra’s brother), Ram Ashrey Prajapati (then mining clerk), Ambika Tiwari (who is related to Mishras), Sanjay Dixit’s father Satyadev Dixit, Ram Avtar Singh (retired mining clerk), Karan Singh (leaseholder) and Adil Khan (illegal excavator).

Adil Khan, CBI sources, was recommended for the job by Gayatri Prajapati.

It has been alleged that the state government officials conspired with private persons in the alleged illegal mining of minor minerals between 2012 and 2016 by granting fresh leases, renewing existing leases and permitting obstructed period to the existing leaseholders, without following the e-tendering procedure as mandated by the UP government in its order dated May 31, 2012.

As part of the conspiracy, the accused persons allowed excavation of minor minerals with a purpose of theft and to extort money from the leaseholders as well as from the drives of the vehicles transporting the minor minerals – like stones, gravel, clay and sand which are considered government property according to the Mines and Minerals (development and regulation) act of 1957.

CBI stated that all of this was being done despite a ban on mining by the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

Chandrakala, who was the district magistrate in Hamirpur at that time, ignored the e-tendering process, a major deviation from the laid down rules and this caused a wrongful loss to the state exchequer. She became popular on social media for her anti-corruption crusade several times. She gained headlines for the first time in 2014 when, as DM Bulandshahr, she was seen scolding the officials for poor construction work in a viral video.

Sources say that the irregularities in UP’s illegal mining are of “large-scale” but ascertaining the exact amount of loss to the state exchequer is difficult to ascertain yet.

They added that the four other PEs may also be soon converted into FIRs.