Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday filesd progress report of its investigation in coal scam case allegedly involving Hindalco in a sealed cover before special court.
The agency has also filed statements of various persons recorded during its probe in the case and has requested the court that the sealed cover be not opened till its further probe is complete.
CBI has sought two weeks time to complete its further probe with the court fixing the matter for February 19.
The CBI had earlier filed a closure report in August last year in this case but a special court had ordered that further investigation be initiated.
This further led to the CBI questioning former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in this case recently.
Meanwhile, CBI on January 23 registered a fresh case in the coal block allocation scam against Indal (now Hindalco, Aditya Birla group) in connection with the allocation of Talabira-I coal block, twenty years ago.
The agency carried out search operations at four places including one in Mumbai and three places in Sambalpur, Odisha after registering the case, CBI sources said.
It is alleged that the coal was used by the company in an unauthorised manner in the existing power plant whereas the allocation was done for expanding the capacity of new power plant, the sources said.
The agency has also alleged that mining was started by the company wihout obtaining the mandatory permission.
The sources said agency has named Indal (now Hindalco) and unknown public servants in connection with the case.
Public servants, the agency alleged, facilitated the illegal operations by not taking action against unauthorised use despite their knowledge.
Talabira-I coal block in IB valley in Odisha, with nearly 22.55 million tonnes of geological reserves, was allotted to Indal on February 25, 1994.
With PTI Inputs
