Named in FIR, ex-coal secretary says PM should be made accused too

Former Union coal secretary PC Parakh, named along with Kumar Mangalam Birla and others in the CBI’s 14th FIR in the coal blocks allocation scam, had only last year been lauded by the Comptroller and Auditor General for opposing the existing system of allocations for suggesting that a competitive bidding process be initiated. [caption id=“attachment_117456” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  PM approved the allocation to Hindalco, said Parakh[/caption] The Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS officer, considered to be an honest officer, reacted to the news of the FIR in Hyderabad, where he currently lives, saying the Prime Minister should be named “Accused Number One” as he had approved the allocation of the Talabira coal block to Hindalco. In 2004, the geologist-turned IAS officer had suggested that coal blocks be distributed through a competitive bidding process for better transparency. The CAG report in August last year which estimated the loss to the exchequer from the coal block allocations at Rs 1.86 lakh crore had lauded Parakh’s note on competitive bidding for auctioning coal blocks. On Tuesday evening, stating that he smells a conspiracy in his being named in the 14th FIR of the CBI, Parakh told the Times of India: … in its investigations, CBI is unable to make a distinction between bona fide decisions taken in public interest and wrong decisions. If CBI has come to conclusion that allocation of Talabira (coal blocks) to Hindalco was a conspiracy, then they should have made the Prime Minister, who approved the allocation, as accused No. 1." Parakh added that questioning his bonafides is odd given the measures he initiated to improve transparency in the coal sector. A report in The Indian Express said Parakh had discussed with then minister of state for coal Dasari Narayana Rao that given the difference in the rates of coal supplied by Coal India and what’s available from captive coal blocks, there was a windfall gain for everybody allocated a captive block. Parak then went on to prepare a draft cabinet note for Rao on the desirability of  competitive bidding, later also suggesting a cut-off date for entertaining applications for an auction process. Another report in the Times of India said senior bureaucrats were shocked at Parakh being named a co-accused. According to the report, Parakh had in 2004-05 in fact protested to the prime minister regarding the “intrusive role” of then minister of state for coal Dasari Narayana Rao. Former power secretary EAS Sarma told ToI, “It is indeed a sad commentary for an FIR being filed against an upright and honest officer like P C Parakh.”