What could explain the deafening silence of the successive state governments  on functioning and management of the Arunachal Pradesh Mineral Development and Trading Corporation Limited (APMDTCL) despite CBI’s investigation and findings, CAG’s assessment report, Advocate General’s legal observation, Union Home Ministry shutting down the operation of  Namchik-Namphuk Coal Fields for alleged terror-funding; and freezing of official bank account of APMDTCL by the Enforcement Directorate under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) 2002?  

ES Reporter  

ITANAGAR, May 5: Brazen impunity with which state corporation APMDTCL, is running the show despite “red-flag” being raised umpteen times over the past decade is a reflection of successive government’s acceptance of wrong practices.
“Enforcement Directorate had frozen the APMDTCL’s account with the then Vijaya Bank (now Bank of Baroda) in 2019 and penalised the state corporation of Rs 1.96 Cr under PMLA,” claims Kaku Potom litigant in the public interest litigation case no PIL 13/2019.
"Why was the account seized and penalised? Why weren’t the officials asked to explain the loss to the APMDTCL?” Potom questions the silence of the government of the day.
Potom who filed an FIR with the SIC on 23 Feburary 2021 as per the Order of Itanagar Bench, Gauhati High Court in a PIL Case no: PIL 13/ 2019 claims that APMDTCL in its official bank account had received around Rs 75 lakhs from unrelated sources and ED raid was related to those few transactions.
“How could the government entity accept money from unconnected sources like one Pooja on 31/08/2010 (vide transaction no. RTGS CR 31/08/10,PUJA-BKIDHI10243003983,), another Sheela (Vide transaction no. RTGS CR 31/08/2010, Sheela Ku, UTR-BKIDHI10243003983) and from another, Ram Binod Prasad Sinha 03/09/2010 ( vide transaction no. RTGS CR 03/9/2010 RAM BINOD UTR......) respectively in the account of APMDTCL?” asks Potom while emphasising that the government should have investigated the matter on its own without a PIL case.  If the Rs. 75 lakh received from the three persons, was deposited in the Eastern Coal field for the cost of coal, then why ED attached it from the APMDTCL? Why APMDTCL could not defend itself in this ED case, he added.
In a letter dated January 22, 2019 to the ED, the then Commissioner of Geology and Mining claimed that the money received was deposited with the Eastern Coal Limited (ECL), Kolkata as payment for coal. Story doesn’t end here. 59 wagons of coal were despatched by ECL against Rs 75 lakh. These coal wagons were never collected by the client from the destination, Digaru. Hence, Station Superintendent, NF Railway, Digaru wrote on January 6, 2011 to the  APMDTCL reminding that client didn’t collect the coals. And at a much later date, NF Railway auctioned the coals.
Potom further questions, “Why those unrelated clients used the APMDTCL official bank account for benami transactions? Who had authorised the transaction? Who was/were the authorised signatories of the bank account? Why did APMDTCL purchase the coal from ECL, Kolkata? Who were these unknown clients? Was the GoAP  aware of such dealings in writings?”

"Facilitator" - possible link to ED Case? 

Sources in the know of this event inform this daily that the transaction had to do with a company by the name of “Arunachal Pradesh Hydro Energy and Mining Company Private Limited Company” which came into play after the introduction of New Coal Distribution Policy.
On October 9, 2009 the APMDTCL had entered into an agreement with M/s Arunachal Pradesh Hydro Energy and Mining Company Private Limited (APHEMCPL) as “Facilitator”. One of the conditions stipulated in the Article 10.1 (1) of the agreement had to do with 5% service charge as indicated in NCDP 2007.
“Of the 5% admissible service charge, it was agreed upon that APHEMCPL shall keep 2% and 3% shall be charged by APMDTCL,” informs Potom. Did APMDTCL collect the 3%? If yes, where are the records? Who were the directors in APHEMCPL? Is the company related to the officials of the department? Was this company created only to take subsidy benefit under NCDP 2007? Did the benefit accrue to the state government?
Namchik-Namphuk coal mismanagement is murkier than what one could think of. Deeper one digs, more complex it gets; but why does the GoAP appears to be looking the other way? 

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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