Even though the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government has cracked down on the biggest railway scam in connection with alleged corruption in the supply of Rail Neer on premium trains, efforts may all go in vain if the main kingpin Rajiv Mittal, who allegedly scripted the whole scam, is not arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The CBI has, however, registered a case in the packaged drinking water scam and the Railways have suspended two senior officials after their names cropped up in the case. So far, the CBI has recovered a total amount of Rs 27 crore out of which Rs 1.5 crore has been recovered from the residence and office premises of Rajiv Mittal, owner of Comesum Group.
The recovery of such a huge amount is enough proof for CBI to book <g data-gr-id="73">Mittal</g> but many are questioning the fact as to why the arrest has not been made yet by the central probing agency which has essentially put the CBI’s role under <g data-gr-id="72">scanner</g>. The Rail Neer scam is just the tip of the iceberg as the mother of all scams is the allotment of all types of catering contracts to Comesum Group, which is the brainchild of RK Associates and <g data-gr-id="74">Brandavan</g> Food Product owned by Rajiv Mittal and two of his cousins — Rahul Agrawal, Abhishek Agrawal. Surprisingly, Mittal has “managed” to control the catering system of all the lucrative Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duranto trains for the past 10 years.
According to sources, Mittal used to bribe senior officials of Railways to get the catering contracts of premium trains. “A large number of senior Railway officials, presently in the railway board and chairman level officers were in close nexus with him, including many former ministers and their private secretaries,” a source said, adding that if the CBI really wants to crack the whole nexus, the agency must arrest Mittal as his arrest would open the floodgates of the scam.
“The bribing racket was not only limited to officials but even Cabinet ministers, CBI officers were lured with different ‘means’ of bribes to get his work done. Ministers were offered huge amounts to transfer officers of Mittal’s choice in the Railways as well different arms of the ministry,” the source added.
It’s due to this that thousands of complaints piled up in the CBI office against the alleged cartel are still gathering dust. “Since Mittal has managed to rope in top-level officials of the central investigating agency by giving huge bribes, the probe had never been initiated in this regard,” the source added.
Sources further revealed that Mittal’s rail catering business — Meals on the Wheels — flourished during the UPA regime, when Lalu Prasad was the Railways minister from 2004 to 2009. He had the blessings of Lalu’s confidant Prem Chand Gupta, who also held the portfolio of Cabinet minister in the Ministry of Company Affairs in the UPA regime, who turned small-time trader Mittal into a billionaire — the present turnover of Mittal’s firm is to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore.
Not only supply of Rail Neer, the Mittal’s firm has flouted all tender norms in terms of delivery. The Mittal’s company had charged Railways even for those meals which had never been supplied
to passengers.
In some cases, the <g data-gr-id="49">bogies</g> which had less occupancy were charged for full occupancy and all this happened in connivance with senior railway officials.
The reports of internal inquiry committees of Railways Board had clearly stated several times that hygienic standards in its kitchens were being openly flouted by the <g data-gr-id="59">vendor</g> but no action was initiated by the concerned officials.
It’s the nexus of Mittal and top level officials that several efficient food catering professionals are not being allowed to enter the tendering process. The latest initiative of Mittal was to capture the Railways in-house magazine – Rail Bandhu — through a <g data-gr-id="65">benami</g> deal with a leading newspaper house.
When Mamata Banerjee came at the helm of affairs, she tried a lot to get Mittal’s firm out of the rail catering syndicate, but all her efforts turned to be futile as officials, who were allegedly on the payroll of Mittal, backed companies that had been illegally formed by none other than Mittal himself in securing the contracts. It has also been learnt that Mittal is operating the catering cartel in the name of several other companies.
Notably, there are 21 Rajdhani, 13 Shatabdi and 14 Duronto trains running on a daily basis and when up and down movement of trains are taken together it goes to 96 ferrying above 30 lakh passengers every month.
The CBI sources said a case has been registered against former Chief Commercial Managers of Northern Railways M S <g data-gr-id="60">Chalia</g> and Sandeep Silas. The latter has also served as the private secretary of two former two Union ministers — Oscar Fernandes and Ambika Soni.