ON the complaint of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) two separate First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered with the Economic Offence Wing and Anti Corruption Bureau of the Chhattisgarh Government. The FIRs were registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) uncovered a vast web of corruption and extortion in what is being termed as the ‘coal levy scam’ and the ‘liquor scam’ in Chhattisgarh. More than 35 people have been named in the coal levy scam while the accused number stands at more than 70 in the liquor scam. The names of former Ministers, MLAs, political functionaries and Bureaucrats have been mentioned in the FIRs. Following an investigation into money laundering (file No ECIR/RPZ0/9/20/2), ED has revealed startling findings implicating businessmen, government officials, and political executives in a meticulously planned scheme to siphon funds from coal transportation and the liquor sale.

 

A syndicate comprising private individuals and state government functionaries allegedly devised the scam. Suryakant Tiwari and government officials including Sameer Vishnoi IAS, Ranu Sahu IAS, Saumya Chourasia, Mining officers and others have been implicated by the ED in the scam. The scam allegedly involved influencing policy changes and manipulating government orders to extort Rs 25 per tonne of coal transported within the state. According to the FIR filed by the ED the scheme involved organizing changes in the coal transportation permit system, changing from an online to a manual process. This alteration facilitated corruption and allowed the syndicate to demand illicit payments from coal transporters.