SAIL PROJECT SCAM: A case of ‘Blatant Compromise’
SAIL’s marketing circular claims that there are clear existing guidelines/criteria for identifying projects is in place. Despite clear guidelines/criteria, how over 11,00,000 Tonne of steel products was sold to the FAKE Projects ? who in turn sold them in the open market for windfall gains inflicting an estimated loss to Rs 400 CR to SAIL.
Apart from clear guidelines/criteria, various events warned the SAIL officials to change the path but they deliberately continued their illicit journey towards the forbidden destination of FAKE Projects.
Seeing the blatant corruption around them, at times even intelligent and prudent people get confused whether the act of inflicting monetary loss to the State exchequer is result of Ineffectiveness, Negligence, Deliberate Negligence, Deliberate Overlooking Compromise, or Blatant Compromise. Often minds and eyes of the common people are not able to pinpoint the actual reason. For this people from professional agencies like CBI etc. are required. At times investigations miss the trees for the woods and forget that the loss to the State exchequer is the central point, whether it is because of Ineffectiveness, Negligence, Deliberate Negligence, Deliberate Overlooking Compromise, or Blatant Compromise.
The circumstantial evidence also plays a vital role in reaching to the conclusion which in the case of “FAKE Projects Scam of SAIL” are the various events which happened during the course of supplies. Sales under the “FAKE Projects Scam of SAIL” can be placed in six distinct baskets:
Basket 1 :
Sales to FAKE Projects between Sep 02, 2019 to Jan 11, 2021 i.e. between the joining of Mahesh Chand Agarwal as ED (Sales & ITD) and issuance of Marketing Serial No. 01 of 2021 regarding Sales of TMT non-established customers.
The above circular was issued giving the background that the same has been issued as criteria for identifying small/non-established, non-MoU projects was not very clear in the existing guidelines. In other words, the Marketing Serial No. 01 of 2021 said that for others the “criteria for identifying projects” is amply clear. It may be noted that FAKE Projects are all non-established customers.
Basket 2 :
Sales to FAKE Projects between Jan 11, 2021 to Nov 17, 2022 i.e. up to the date on which The Whistle Blower Rajeev Bhatia sent the corruption complaint on steel supplies to a FAKE Project - Venkatesh Infra Projects P Ltd to Soma Mondal and V S Chakravarty, the then Chairman and Director (Commercial) of SAIL.
Basket 3 :
Sales to FAKE Projects between Nov 18, 2022 to May 04, 2023 i.e. till the CVO SAIL sent the report to MoS which apart from other officers of SAIL CMO, contains the responses/comments of head of sales Agarwal, the then ED (Sales & ITD).
Basket 4 :
Sales to FAKE Projects between May 05, 2023 to July 31, 2023 i.e. till CMD SAIL Amerandu Prakash conveyed to the Ministry of Steel that a team of officers has been formed to explore the possibilities of improvements.
Basket 5 :
Sales to FAKE Projects between Aug 01, 2023 to Jan 10, 2024 i.e. till the LOKPAL order dated Jan 10, 2024 in which the watchdog passed scathing remarks on the functioning of SAIL and directed SAIL to formulate a clear and unambiguous policy with regard to MOU, pricing and relaxation.
Basket 6 :
Sales to FAKE Projects after Jan 10, 2024.
Let us now see the estimated breakup of sales to FAKE Projects with respect to above six baskets.
We have shared our thoughts with you. You can also share your thought in the comments box.
Also read: “Suspension of the Whistle Blower: A weapon to accelerate & intensify corruption” to understand the grave motive of senior management to satisfy their lust & greed of supplying steel to FAKE Projects at negotiated prices by giving heavy discounts for windfall gains, probably mutual.
(The above article has been written based on extensive research and inputs from various sources including sources from SAIL)
