Coal companies didn’t hand over Rs 5 cr for Kargil fund — PIL

RANCHI, DECEMBER 5: Allegations of bungling of funds donated by employees of the cash-strapped Coal India Ltd (CIL) and its subsidiary, Ce...

RANCHI, DECEMBER 5: Allegations of bungling of funds donated by employees of the cash-strapped Coal India Ltd (CIL) and its subsidiary, Central Coalfields Ltd, for Kargil have generated resentment among workers.

The Ranchi bench of the Patna High Court recently served notices on the managements of the companies which are among the respondents in a Public Interest L itigation (PIL) filed by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) worker Arun Tiwari alleging that these public sector coal companies had not deposited the “entire” sum of the Kargil fund with any Government or Army organisation.

Says Ram Parvez, who works as a sweeper with Coal India Ltd: “Now what will they tell the court that they have bungled with the Kargil fund?” He adds in the same breath: “No. They will argue that they had not deposited it because there were some other exigencies to meet with it.”

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CCL Colliery Majdoor Sangh Secretary Sudhir Kumar Karn is also irked. “If the management has not handed over any paisa of ourcontributions meant for the soldiers who sacrificed their lives in Kargil, its managers should be flogged in public.”

The petition filed by Tiwari, quoting its own records and estimates, claims that in the month of June-July, each one of the nearly six lakh strong workforce of the CIL and its subsidiaries, including the CCL, had contributed either Rs 100 each or one day’s salary for the victims of Operation Vijay.

Although their contributions which came to Rs 13 crore were deducted from their pay, the CIL and CCL managements had not deposited more than Rs 5 crore with the PMRelief Fund, the petition alleged.

Responding to Tiwari’s petition, the division bench comprising Justice R N Prasad and Justice A K Sinha directed that notices be issued to the respondents.

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Most CIL employees who spoke to The Indian Express suspect said that their contributions were diverted to meet the companies’ day-to-day cash requirements since they are incurring losses running into crores every year. Karn said: “The truthis not known because the management is not transparent. It never brought out the details of our Kargil fund, its receipts and deposits.”

Another CCL employee felt that in case the management had not deposited the total fund, it should be forced to do so along with a fine and cumulative interest.