Recent scams and controversies in India-3

 

Mining scam in Rajasthan

The BJP government in Rajasthan led by its Chief Minister Smt. VasundharaRaje granted leases/licenses to a selected few mines-mafia without following due process. The whole process was completed within 71 days only. 

Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee Chief Sachin Pilot, accused the state government of allocating 653 mines without auctions, leading to a loss of Rs 45,000 crore to the state.

The scam came to light after the arrest of Principal Secretary (Mines) Ashok Singhvi.

The Mines and Minerals Act, 1957, was recently amended to ensure compulsory auction of mines. "No mines should be given away without auction. No letter of intent for a prospective licence or mining lease can be given without the Centre’s consent.

 

Louis Berger Bribery scam

Key persons : Former Goa chief minister DigambarKamat, Former Goa minister and South Goa strongman Churchill Alemao,

In July 2015, Louis Berger officials admitted in a US court that they have bribed top officials in several countries to win government projects.

James McClung, the former Senior Vice President of Louis Berger, admitted bribing Indian government officials in 2010 to secure several water developmental project contracts. The amount goes up to a shocking number of $976,630 (about Rs 6.5 crore). The bribe was paid to an unidentified minister who held the office 2010.

After three years, a CAG report revealed several flaws in the execution of the project. Goa CM Laxmikant Parsekar immediately ordered the state crime branch to look into the case and prepare reports.

Louis Berger was part of a consortium that eventually won a contract to execute a multi-billion dollar water and sewerage project funded by the Japan International Co-operation Agency.

 

BSNL Scam :

Key persons : Dayanidhi Maran, the former telecom minister, Sun Network owner Kalanithi Maran

Illegal telephone exchange smuggled away from BSNL by the Marans and installed in their posh Boat Club residence in Chennai.

Marans had smuggled away 764 lines fraudulently designating them as service lines for the official use of the CGM of BSNL, when the lines were installed at the personal home of DayanidhiMaran at Boat Club area in Chennai. As service lines “intended for official use”, the cost of installing the 764 lines is Rs 1.8 crore.

There is clear physical proof that the 764 high speed lines were intended and used for commercial purposes. The physical proof of it exists in the form of underground cable specially laid from Maran’s Boat Club home to Raja Annamalaipuram junction, from where the general underground cables had connected the 764 lines to the Sun TV office on Anna Salai.

Since it was a separate telephone exchange, the Marans could have provided free telephone service to as many persons as they wanted. They were in effect the service providers – unlicensed and illegal. It was found that most officials of Sun TV were connected to the smuggled and fraudulent free telephone system of Marans.