Allegations Of Rs. 100 Crore Land Scam Surface From Area Under Central Coalfields Limited, Ranchi

A serious and alarming case of alleged land record tampering, corruption, and illegal forest land acquisition involving Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), government officials, and a private company – Mine Developer-cum-Operator (MDO) — Sushi Infra and Mining Limited—under the Chandragupta Open Cast Project (OCP) in Hazaribagh and Chatra districts of Jharkhand.

Key Allegations and Developments:

Disappearance of Forest Land Records:

• 417 acres of forest land records have allegedly been erased from Zonal Office Keredari, Revenue Archives, and District Archives.

• Despite this, Form-1 and Form-2 certificates were issued by the DC’s office stating “no record available”, with no investigation into the disappearance.

Lack of Due Process:

• No formal FIR or internal investigation was recorded.

• The Forest Department did not independently verify land status and still recommended it to the Government of India for allotment.

Fraudulent Documentation:

• CCL officials, including Manoj Kumar (Chief Manager Mining) and Sanjeev Kumar (Manager), allegedly created fake or tampered lists and documents post-2021.

• A commitment letter issued by CCL lacked essential details like date, letter number, project proposal number, and year.

Massive Compensation Scam Potential:

• If compensation is calculated at ₹25 lakh per acre, 417 acres could translate into a scam of over ₹100 crore (₹104.25 crore).

• Allegedly, fake documents were made to claim or plan to claim this compensation.

Current Status:

• Complaint filed by Social Activist and whistle blower Mantu Soni, resident of Barkagaon.

• Complaint submitted to DGP, Jharkhand, and Government of India.

• CID (Criminal Investigation Department) has been tasked with investigating the matter.

Potential Legal and Administrative Implications:

• Violation of Forest Conservation Act, 1980 – as forest land appears to be diverted without proper clearance.

• Criminal Conspiracy (Section 120B IPC), Forgery (Section 465/468 IPC), and Cheating (Section 420 IPC) could be applicable.

• Prevention of Corruption Act provisions may be invoked against public servants involved.

• Environmental laws breached by bypassing mandatory clearances and assessments.

Immediate Action Points That Should Be Taken:

• Independent forensic audit of land acquisition documents and missing records.

• Suspension of all officials involved until completion of the CID probe.

• Stay on mining activities in the disputed land until legality is established.

• Monitoring by High Court or a retired judge to ensure fair investigation.

• Forest Department to conduct a fresh assessment of the land in question.

www.indianpsu.com sent email queries regarding this case to Sankeerth Reddy – Managing Director of Sushi Infra and Mining Limited, Hyderabad, did not elicit any response. Central Coalfields Limited CMD Nilendu Kumar Singh, when contacted over the phone, said that internal enquiry is on and it was too early to comment anything at the moment.