Corruption has crept into Singareni Collieries Company Limited.
Singarani official caught by ACB on Tuesday.
KARIMNAGAR: Corruption has crept into Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), one of the reputedly “clean” organisations in the state and India because it offers comparatively higher salaries and occasional perks to its workforce. Just as officials of any other department, public servants of this coal major are harassing contractors, demanding bribes for discharging their duties. It is learned that they have “fixed” rates at every stage.
Sources said that officials at different levels, including general managers, were pestering contractors, seeking a commission for doing their job. “Graft has become a customary tradition among officials of the SCCL. Based on ranks, rates of bribes have already been fixed. Many are lodging complaints with us verbally, alleging that bills were not being cleared unless they offered a bribe,” said an official of the ACB.
It said that the ACB was flooded with phone calls from victims of the corrupt officials following arrest of Ramagundam-region II deputy general manager (civil) B.Madhusudan Rao who was caught red-handed, accepting Rs 20,000 from a contractor on Tuesday. This means that many public representatives are likely to be trapped in the ACB’s dragnet in the future.
ACB DSP T. Sudarshan said that most complaints were about harassment by several officials, including general managers of several coal mines, of contractors, demanding bribe, since the past few months. However, no one dared lodge written complaints so far, he added. Unlike any other government department, the SCCL is known for paying high salaries to its employees.
It announces bonuses during the Dasara festival. It also shares a certain percentage of its dividends with its workforce every year. In addition, it provides quarters equipped with supply of drinking water and power. It operates exclusive hospitals and educational institutions for ensuring better medical facilities and education for children and family members of the employees.
Official in ACB net; 2nd in SCCL:
An employee of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) was arrested by sleuths of ACB while accepting '20,000 from a contractor at the VIII Incline Colony in Godavarikhani on Tuesday. Incidentally, this public servant is the second employee to have been trapped in ACB dragnet in the history of the coal major. Vishwanath, project officer was held when he was collecting bribe, 15 years ago.
The accused public servant was Ramagundam II region’s deputy general manager (civil) B. Madhusudan Rao. The complainant was Mukkera Mogili, a civil contractor from the colony. ACB DSP T. Sudarshan Goud said that Madhusudan Rao was detained at the time of receiving the amount from Mogili in his cabin for doing his duty. He demanded the bribe from the contractors for clearing pending bill of Rs 4.60 lakh.
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( Source : deccan chronicle )
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