BS Yeddyurappa’s political secretary BJ Puttaswamy alleged that while HD Kumaraswamy was the chief minister, the Mumbai super cop Daya Nayak was among those who lobbied for the renewal of mining licences.
The mudslinging between politicians has thrust more and more scams out of the closet. On Friday, after a short break, chief minister BS Yeddyurappa’s political secretary BJ Puttaswamy threw open the lid on a fresh mining scam.
Puttaswamy alleged that while HD Kumaraswamy was the chief minister, the Mumbai super cop Daya Nayak was among those who lobbied for the renewal of mining licences.
Nayak is credited with having made a big difference to the law and order situation in the Maharashtra by eliminating over 80 underworld gangsters.
Going on the offensive against former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, Puttaswamy alleged that he had acted against the Centre’s directives by forcing the mines and geology department to permit lifting of iron ore and ordering the renewal of ore mining lease on 80.94 hectares, which had been leased to Janthakal Enterprises. This was done to favour a Mumbai-based firm in Chitradurga in 2007.
Puttaswamy alleged that Daya Nayak was among those who lobbied to get the licence renewed. Among the others named as lobbyists in the case are businessmen Vijay Kumar, Darshan Goel and Vinod Goel.
On Friday, the CM’s political secretary distributed documents to the media to corroborate claims that Janthakal Enterprises applied for the renewal of mining license at Holalkere taluk, Chitradurga district, in 2005.
The mines department turned down the application, as there were no mandatory clearances from the forest department. This is a procedure that requires the intervention of the Centre.
“Kumaraswamy, who was then chief minister then, issued a direction to the then commissioner in the department of mines and geology, Gangaram Baderiya, to renew the licence in February 2007. On receiving that direction from the chief minister, the officials meekly did as they were told,” Puttaswamy said.
Puttaswamy said that Baderiya, in September 2007, had written a letter to the principal secretary in the commerce and industries department quoting the former chief minister and saying that he had issued an ultimatum that permission be issued and directions given, within two hours, to allow the lessee to lift old dumps (iron ore). Illegal lifting of 1,17,800 tonnes of old dumps worth Rs400 crore from a mining firm in Chitradurga was thus allowed in favour of the three businessmen, the chief minister’s political secretary alleged.
The lease was renewed for 40 years, from 1985 to 2005, and again from 2005 to 2025. Puttaswamy alleged that the beneficiaries produced a fictitious letter, dated February 14, 2008, purportedly from the director-general, Union forest department, granting approval for the lifting of the iron ore.
“The state forest department, suspecting foul play, sought a clarification, and ascertained whether the letter was genuine. The Centre, in turn, informed them that the letter was fake. The Centre instructed that criminal action be initiated against the mine owner and those responsible, Puttaswamy said.
He alleged that Kumaraswamy had received hundreds of crores of rupees as kickback by favouring companies like Janthakal Enterprises.
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