CHANDIGARH | May 29, 2017: A junior "employee" in Punjab irrigation and power minister Rana Gurjit Singh's company who claims to be a farmer won the bid for a Rs 9.14 crore mine in Nawanshahr district. 'CM getting relevant info on charges against Rana', P 2 He is not the only one. Gurjit's two ex-employees, cook Amit Bahadur and Kulvinder Paul Singh, are already under the lens after winning the bid for a Rs 26-crore mine in Saidpur Khurd and a Rs 9-crore mine in Mehadipur of Nawanshahr district of the state. Bahadur and Kulvinder successfully bid for the mines, despite their annual incomes in the last three years not crossing Rs 1lakh and Rs 6 lakh, respectively.
Balraj Singh has listed his profession as an agriculturalist in the application for certificate of approval submitted on April 11 before the Punjab industries department. Balraj, in his affidavit, has clearly mentioned that he is a resident of Rana Sugar Limited Colony in Amritsar. The paper reads, "I Balraj Singh, son of Swaran Singh, a resident of Rana Sugar Ltd, Colony, Buttar Sivaiya, Amritsar, have the honour to request that a certificate of approval under the Punjab Minor Mineral Rules, 2013, be granted to enable me to acquire mining leases under the said rules."
Gurjit has denied the allegations of using his "employees" to enter the mining business levelled by the Opposition, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
Like the two, Balraj has also shown his income to be not more than Rs 4-5 lakh in the CA form. Balraj has won the bid in Nawanshahr district. His mining site, Bairsal is at a strategic location and 12,015 metric tonne of sand is to be mined from there.
While both Bahadur and Kulvinder have already deposited Rs 13.34 crore and Rs 9.21 crore as first installments a week back, Balraj, despite winning the bid, did not deposit the first instalment of Rs 4.34 crore. But, it is unclear if he has not done so following the controversy. The mining and industries department is now trying to ascertain the money trail. The department is also trying to find out who funded all the three for winning these contracts, adding up to more than Rs 50 crore.
Punjab irrigation and power minister Rana Gurjit Singh has consistently denied any links with the sand mining business. He had issued a statement on May 25, immediately after first reports of Bahadur's role in the mining business had come out, saying that neither he nor his company Rana Sugars Limited has any direct or indirect stake, financial or otherwise, in the business. The minister also denied that any links of his family members or employees with the sand mining business.
(Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)