“No irregularities in Coal India funds collected for relief”
Special Correspondent
Money collected for PM’s Relief Fund disbursed, say TUs
KOLKATA: Coal India Ltd. chairman P.S. Bhattacharyya has denied any irregularity in the funds collected by his company and its subsidiaries for the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund over the last few years for victims of the tsunami, the Orissa cyclone, the Gujarat earthquake and for the Kargil war victims.
Two Central trade unions –— the Indian National Trade Union Congress and the Centre of Indian Trade Unions –— have taken up cudgels for the CIL on the issue of allegations of diversion of funds collected from workers. The matter was probed by the Prime Minister’s Office after the issue was raised by a CIL employee.
M.K. Pandhe, CITU president, said funds collected by the public sector CIL were in keeping with the decision of the joint committee of the trade unions and the management (which is the apex body for all labour and workmen-related matters). And money collected from the workers for relief operations could not be diverted by the CIL. “The trade unions in the coal industry will not allow any funds diversion, since the workers have contributed the money for a specific purpose,” he said.
The former INTUC general secretary, Rajendra Singh, and the president of the Indian National Mineworkers Federation have said that the collections and deposits were being audited by statutory auditors and the CAG.
Documents show that over the years, Rs. 40.89 crores was raised by Coal India through recoveries from its 4 lakh workers for extending relief operations during various calamities –— natural and other disasters. Between July 1999 and August 2007, the CIL contributed Rs. 37.25 crores to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund and Rs. 4.7 crores to the relief funds of Chief Ministers of West Bengal, Bihar and Himachal Pradesh. Accordingly, of the Rs. 7.25 crores raised for the Kargil Fund, Rs. 7.09 crores was paid by December 1999 and the balance Rs. 0.16 lakh was paid in August 2007.
The Rs. 10 crores raised for tsunami relief was remitted to the Prime Minister’s fund in January 2005, Rs. 12 crores remitted for the Gujarat earthquake victims and Rs. 8 crores for the Orissa cyclone victims between December 1999 and April 2001.
However, allegations of funds retention and diversion were raised in the Rs 7.16 crores collected for the Jammu and Kashmir earthquake victims. While it was first decided in a meeting in November 2005 to utilise the money to adopt villages in affected areas, later it was decided to contribute the money to the PM”s fund.
Mr. Pandhe said it was first decided to carry out relief operations directly, since experience showed that the fund did not always reach the victims. Although the CIL management initially agreed to the trade union’s proposal on direct payment to victims, it was later felt that money collected under the PM’s Relief Funds could not be spent directly. Hence the delay in remitting the fund.
Mr. Bhattacharyya also admitted to this delay and said that the funds had now been completely disbursed.
The Hindu : National : “No irregularities in Coal India funds collected for relief”