The Enforcement Directorate has been searching 14 spots in Chhattisgarh in connection with the coal levy scam since Monday morning.
New Delhi,UPDATED: Feb 20, 2023 09:57 IST
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has called for a sudden presser at this residence at 11 am. (File photo)
By India Today Web Desk: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) began searching 14 spots in Chhattisgarh in connection with the coal levy scam on Monday morning. Some of the premises being raided are linked to Congress legislators and office bearers, including the state party treasurer, sources said.
According to sources, all raid spots belong to MLAs and office bearers, who are close aides of Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel.
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CM Baghel has called for a student press meeting at his residence at 11 am.
In a prosecution complaint filed recently in the coal levy scam, the ED has claimed that politicians, bureaucrats in a criminal conspiracy illegally levied 25 paise coal levy, which resulted in proceeds of crime worth Rs 540 crores.
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The ED has alleged that the proceeds of the crime were diverted to the party funds and other individuals.
CHHATTISGARH COAL SCAM
An illegal levy of Rs 25 per tonne was being extorted for every tonne of coal transported in the state by a cartel involving senior bureaucrats, businessmen, politicians, and middlemen.
The ED sources said, on average, they had collected Rs 500 crore in 2021.
The ED, in October 2022, recovered Rs 4 crore cash, valuables worth crores, and important documents after conducting raids on 40 locations linked to top Chhattisgarh bureaucrats, politicians, and businessmen.
