Dhanbad: A major irregularity in the coal transportation system in East Katras under Katras police station has raised serious questions about the role of BCCL officials and a transport company. Five coal-laden Hywas managed to leave a siding where the authorized weighing scale was out of order, and surprisingly, their challans recorded the exact weight of the coal. The question arises: how was the weight measured when the scale was not operational, and if no weighing took place, on whose instructions and basis were exact figures entered in the challan?
Following the police action, the scope of the investigation is no longer limited to the transport company; the responsible officials of BCCL Area-III are also under the legal scanner. The FIR names the owner and local manager of the transport company along with the concerned BCCL officials. The police are investigating at what level negligence occurred in the entire process of coal weighing, challan issuance, and transportation, and whether this was being executed in a planned manner.
On Thursday night, police received information that Vishnu Transport Company was dispatching coal from the STG Deko siding in East Katras without following the prescribed procedures. The tip-off also raised concerns about the alleged connivance of local BCCL officials in transporting coal without weighing on authorized scales and manipulating coal grades.
Taking action, the police intercepted five Hywas at the Bhatmurhna turn. All vehicles were loaded with coal, and none had tarpaulin covers. During interrogation, the Hywas drivers presented Transport Challan Form-D.
Upon questioning, the drivers stated that due to a broken weighing scale, coal was loaded into the Hywas by estimating the probable weight using a payloader. After inspecting the documents, the biggest question before the police was how the weight was recorded in the challan despite a broken scale. Finding the matter prima facie suspicious, the police seized all five Hywas and are now investigating how BCCL permitted coal extraction when the siding's scale was non-functional and how unweighted coal-laden vehicles exited the siding.
