CBI registers case in Hindalco case

BHUBANESWAR: The CBI on Friday searched four places (one in Mumbai and three in Sambalpur) and registered a case in connection with allotment of Talabira-I coal block to Hindalco, a unit of Aditya Birla group.
The case named ‘unknown public servants’ and M/s Indal (now Hindalco) as accused, a CBI source said. “Search operations were conducted following allegations that coal allocated for expanding capacity of a new power plant was used in an unauthorized manner in the existing power plant,” a CBI officer said, adding, “Mining started without proper permission.”
The CBI source said the public servants facilitated it by not taking action against unauthorized use despite their knowledge.Talabira-I in Sundargarh was allocated to the company in 1994. This is the 38th FIR pertaining to coalgate. “We have seized incriminating documents,” the officer said.
The recent raid followed the CBI questioning former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on January 20 pertaining to allotment of Talabira II to Hindalco. The development raised eyebrows as it came two days after the BJP demanded that CBI quiz chief minister Naveen Patnaik for recommendation allocation of Talabira II to Hindalco. The company had proposed an integrated aluminium complex, including a million tonne per annum alumina refinery, 2,60,000 tonne per annum aluminium smelter plant and 650 mega watt captive power plant, in Sambalpur at an investment of Rs 11,000 crore.
BJP spokesperson Suresh Pujari said the state government recommended Hindalco’s name without any project plan or MoU with the company. “Four years after the recommendation, the BJD received Rs 5 crore in cheque from the Aditya Birla group in 2009. The CBI should investigate whether the donation was made for recommending Talabira II,” said Pujari.