The Asian Age – Bansal skips Cabinet, CBI inches closer

Pramod Kumar and Manish Anand, Asian Age Correspondents

New Delhi, 10 May 2013. Amid speculation that he could go soon, railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on Thursday skipped the Cabinet meeting and reportedly was in his Ashoka Road residence throughout the day. The media was told “he was not well”, and sources said since there was nothing pertaining to the railways on the Cabinet’s agenda, “there was no urgent need for him to attend the meeting”.

Work at the railway ministry, meanwhile, seems to have almost come to a standstill with the minister and his top aides staying away from office.

The net appeared to be closing in on the minister with the CBI interrogating Mr Bansal’s private secretary Rahul Bhandari, a 1997-batch IAS officer from Punjab. Mr Bhandari went to the CBI headquarters on Thursday for a second round of questioning. Investigations have revealed some of the meetings to “fix” senior-level jobs in the railways were held at the minister’s residence and office.

Besides “Railgate”, Mr Bansal is also under a cloud for nominating one of his associates as a government director in a public sector bank during his stint as a minister of state at the finance ministry in 2007.

Reports of the railway minister’s son, Amit Bansal, taking a huge loan from the bank for family-run firms are also pouring in.

Tightening its grip, the CBI is now planning to question the officer on special duty (OSD) in the railway minister’s office, Vitul Kumar, with whom Mr Bansal’s arrested nephew, Vijay Singla, was in constant touch. The minister’s private secretary, Mr Bhandari, was during interrogation on Thursday confronted with his telephonic conversations with Mr Singla.

The duo apparently talked about suspended Railway Board member Mahesh Kumar’s elevation and the possibility of making him member (electrical), sources said. Mahesh Kumar, who has been arrested, told the CBI he paid `90 lakhs as the initial amount of bribe only after Mr Singla assured him that the railway minister had agreed to give him additional charge as GM, Western Railway, in addition to being member (staff), Railway Board. Mr Singla was arrested in Chandigarh on May 3 for allegedly accepting `90 lakhs in cash from Narayan Rao Manjunath, a businessman with links to Mahesh Kumar.

Sources said the CBI is also likely to question three more officials who are part of Mr Bansal’s staff. Mr Bhandari’s conversations were tapped by the agency after it put the phones of Mr Kumar and Mr Singla under surveillance. The CBI has so far arrested eight persons in connection with the alleged railway bribery scandal.

The employees’ unions at the railway ministry appear to be divided on the issue of Mr Bansal. While the All India Railwaymen’s Federation is seeking his resignation, the Federation of Officers’ Association, National Federation of Indian Railwaymen, All-India RPF Association and the Indian Railways Promotee Officers’ Federation have come out in support of the minister.

http://www.asianage.com/india/bansal-skips-cabinet-cbi-inches-closer-682

The Asian Age – ‘Railgate’ probe closer to Bansal

Pramod Kumar, Asian Age Correspondent

New Delhi, 8 May 2013. CBI investigations into “Railgate” appear to be reaching the doorstep of railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, with key accused Mahesh Kumar, suspended member of the Railway Board, spilling the beans during its custodial interrogation on Tuesday.

Mr Kumar told interrogators that he paid `90 lakhs as the initial bribe only after Vijay Singla, Mr Bansal’s nephew (also under arrest), assured him that the railway minister had agreed to give him the additional charge of GM (Western Railway) in addition to being member (staff), Railway Board. This would have been in place till June this year, when Mr Kumar would have been made member (electrical), a post that he had
sought.

Ajay Garg, a close associate of the railway minister’s nephew, who was absconding, surrendered in court on Tuesday and has been remanded to two-day police custody. The CBI also carried out searches at the premises of Mahesh Kumar in Mumbai and claimed to have found property documents and diamond jewellery of substantial value, which were removed from his residence soon after his arrest.

Sources said the CBI had got a tipoff that some property-related documents, bank passbooks and jewellery were removed from his official residence by family members soon after news of his arrest flashed on television channels. The agency is likely to question a Railway Protection Force official who allegedly helped Mr Kumar’s wife to move documents and valuables from their official residence in Mumbai after news of Mr Kumar’s arrest broke.

The railway minister could be in for more trouble as CBI sources revealed key appointments could not have been carried out without clearance from the top. The CBI will also question some top railway officials and go through all files relating to recent appointments. The CBI is also likely to question the minister’s private secretary, Rahul Bhandari. Investigations revealed that Vijay Singla was in regular touch with Mr Bhandari and two other officials at the railway ministry.

The investigations also revealed that the bribe money was intended for “someone at the top” in the ministry. Mr Bansal, sources said, could be summoned for interrogation soon after the Budget Session of Parliament ends on Friday. It is learnt that pressure is mounting on the government to take prompt action against Mr Bansal.

The agency is also going through the records of at least 1,000 calls between Mr Singla and senior rail ministry officials. The agency is focusing on conversations between Mr Singla, his associate and railway equipment supplier Narayan Rao Manjunath, Mahesh Kumar and two other railway board members. The CBI will also question Mr Kumar in front of Mr Singla and try to identify the end beneficiary of the bribe amount, sources said.

At this juncture, Mr Singla and Mr Manjunath, both of whom are in CBI custody, are giving conflicting versions and hiding crucial information, the sources said. The CBI is looking at the option of conducting lie-detection and brain-mapping tests on both of them.

It may be recalled that the investigative agency had been tracking the railway minister’s nephew for the past three months. The agency also arrested two courier boys — Vivek and Dharmendra — in connection with the case.

http://www.asianage.com/india/railgate-probe-closer-bansal-506

The Hindu – CBI to quiz Bansal in rail scam case

Devesh K. Pandey

New Delhi, 6 May 2013.  Determined to drill deep into the layers of conspiracy behind the purported deal struck by Railway Board Member (Staff) Mahesh Kumar with Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal’s nephew Vijay Singla and his accomplices for securing the post of Railway Board Member (Electrical), the Central Bureau of Investigation is all set to “interview” Mr. Bansal

On condition of anonymity, CBI officials on Sunday said that in order to prepare a watertight case they would “investigate the case to its logical end” and probe all those connected with the main conspirators.

Since Mr. Bansal is the Railway Minister and related to one of the accused, the agency would have to approach him for clarifications as the investigation progresses, they said.

Countering Mr. Singla’s claim, made before a Delhi court, that the money (Rs. 90 lakh cash) seized from him was meant for some land deal, sources in the agency said they had “incontrovertible proof” of his complicity in the crime. On the basis of that they had set out to probe the case and arrest the accused, the sources added. With this, nine persons have been arrested in this case so far.

The electronic and other material evidence gathered prior to the arrest of Mr. Singla and his accomplice Sandeep Goyal would be placed before the court for perusal whenever needed.

The CBI has registered the case under Section 7 (public servant taking gratification), Section 8 (taking gratification to influence public servant) and Section 10 (Punishment for abetment by public servant) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, besides Section 120-B (conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.

Since the Prevention of Corruption Act provisions invoked are regarding scheduled offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, officials said the Directorate of Enforcement would also probe the money trail. Transactions made through the companies in which the accused have interests will also be scrutinised.

The CBI, which seized property and investment documents of the accused during raids in New Delhi, Chandigarh and Bangalore following the arrests on Friday night, has also sought their Income tax return details.

The FIR alleged that Mahesh Kumar had arranged the bribe amount with the help of his accomplice Narayan Rao Manjunath, the managing director of Bangalore-based G.G. Tronics India Private Limited, to immediately pay Mr. Singal and his accomplices — Sandeep Goyal and Ajay Garg.

This, sources added, was allegedly an interim payment that Mr. Kumar made in order to secure the additional charge of General Manager (Western Railway and Signal and Telecommunication) till he was appointed as Railway Board Member (Electrical), the post that he sought.

While Mr. Kumar and Mr. Manjunath were arrested in Mumbai and Bangalore respectively, the CBI also arrested the two courier boys, Dharmendra and Vivek, besides Mr. Manjunath’s business associates Rahul Yadav and Samir Sandhir. The agency also arrested Sushil Daga, another accused in the case.

Sources said after the detection of the close-knit network of alleged middlemen, industrialists regularly dealing with the Indian Railway and a top Railway Ministry official, they received positive responses from within the Ministry. “We are expecting more information on cartels operating in connivance with unknown insiders to bag lucrative contracts,” said an official.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/cbi-to-quiz-bansal-in-rail-scam-case/article4686909.ece

The Tribune – Railway Budget : North smiles, after long

Chandigarh gets connectivity to Bangalore, Goa, Amritsar
Coach factory to come up at Sonepat
New line to Talwandi Sabo in Punjab
Multi-mode travel package for J&K

Vibha Sharma, Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 26. Railway Minister Pawan Bansal, an MP from Chandigarh, today gave his home town, as also other northern states, something or the other to cheer about.

The “Rai Bareli” Budget, as the Opposition chose to christen Bansal’s maiden effort, in fact carries a distinct North Indian touch, but to be fair to him, unlike his predecessors, he seems to be fairly equitable in treating various regions.

Perhaps, it is after a long gap that northern states have been looked after with announcement of new projects and trains. The poll-bound Haryana finds favour with a coach-manufacturing unit at Sonepat, while Chandigarh has been bestowed with a bonanza of new trains, increase in frequency and connectivity to Amritsar (the Amritsar Intercity Express (daily) via Mohali), Goa (extension of the Madgaon-Hazrat Nizamuddin train to Chandigarh) and Bangalore (extension of the Yeshvantpur-Hazrat Nizamuddin Sampark Kranti Express to Chandigarh, two days).

Bansal also promised a traffic survey for a new line between Patiala and Jakhal.

The minister has also tried to include the much-neglected Himachal Pradesh in his plan. The Bilaspur-Manali-Leh, identified by the Planning Commission as a strategically important link, found mention in his speech. Apart from announcing a new line between Dharamsala and Palampur, he promised to actively pursue the link.

But as far as new projects go, he has been the most generous towards Chandigarh that sends him to the Lok Sabha, obviously to keep his prospects intact ahead of the next General Election, and also Haryana. So while he announced a modern signalling equipment facility through the PPP route and a skill-development centre for the City Beautiful, Sonepat district in Haryana got a coach-manufacturing unit in collaboration with the state government. Haryana got three new rail lines out of the total 22 announced today. Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda has thanked the Railway Minister for the factory and new lines.

For Jammu and Kashmir, he has mooted two important projects, which will take care of interests of Vaishno Devi pilgrims besides other tourists. For the benefit of Sikhs, the minister proposed to take up the construction of a new line from Rama Mandi to Maur Mandi via Talwandi Sabo. Among the five Sikh Takhts, only the Takht Damdama Sahib that was not connected by a rail link, he said.

For J&K, there is a multi-modal travel package with cooperation of the state government that would enable passengers to travel from Jammu through Udhampur, Qazigund to Srinagar and Baramulla on a common rail-bus ticket. Officials say the move intends to facilitate and provide hassle-free travel for tourists visiting the region.

Apart from commissioning of the railway line to Katra, which, Bansal said, would happen very soon, he also mooted a proposal for issuing “yatra parchis” to pilgrims travelling by rail at the time of booking of the ticket itself. This, he said, would be done with the help of the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board.

He promised to take up the Udampur-Srinagar-Baramulla national project and the projects of strategic importance on priority. Apart from pursuing the Bilaspur-Manali-Leh link and Jammu-Poonch via Akhnoor, he also announced a new line between Ferozepur and Patti for providing a direct rail link between border areas in Punjab-Ferozepur, Amritsar and Attari.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130227/main2.htm  

The Tribune – Need for better rail link with Chandigarh

Sarbjit Dhaliwal, Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 25. Various sarpanches and panches have urged the Union Railway Minister, Pawan Kumar Bansal, to announce a rail link between Barnala and Sirsa via Mansa in the Railway Budget tomorrow. They also want a rail link between Mohali and Rajpura as this would enable Sangrur, Bathinda, Abohar and Fazilka to be linked with the state capital, Chandigarh.

The Railway Ministry has been ignoring the state for long. There is no direct rail link between Chandigarh and the Bathinda region. Poor rail connectivity to the capital has led to congestion on roads.

A Congress leader, Ram Pal Daipai, said he had submitted a memorandum to Bansal seeking greater rail connectivity in the Bathinda-Mansa region besides a rail link between Ludhiana and Barnala through which the entire Amritsar region could be connected with the Barnala-Sangrur-Mansa area.

There is also a popular demand for a rail link between Moga and Barnala.

Sangrur Member of Parliament Vijay Inder Singla said he had got resolutions passed by the panchayats of Mandvi and Mandva villages offering land for a rail project as Bansal had announced some months ago that he would announce a rail project for the state if land was made available for the same. Sources said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had written to Bansal offering land for the project. However, he had not mentioned any specific area demarcated for the same.

There is also a demand for a direct rail link between Amritsar and Ferozepur to reduce the distance between Mumbai and Amritsar. This would also boost trade. Several railway overbridges need to be constructed in the state. There is also the need for electrification of various rail tracks, especially in the Sangrur region.

Sangrur: Malerkotla Muslims will now enjoy direct connectivity to Dargah Sharif, Ajmer, through the rail route. Vijay Inder Singla, Member of Parliament said it was owing to his effort that the train from Amritsar, which originally ran up to Jaipur, had been extended to Ajmer. He said Punjabis residing at Ajmer would now have direct connectivity with Darbar Sahib at Amritsar.

With better connectivity, the region would attract more investors, the MP claimed. The Amritsar-Ajmer train would start from Amritsar at 5.50 pm every Friday and Sunday. It would depart from Malerkotla at 9.15 pm and reach Ajmer at 9.55 am the next day.

The train would return from Ajmer at 5.55 pm every Monday and Wednesday, arrive at Malerkotla at 6.15 am the next day and reach Amritsar at 10.35 am.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130226/punjab.htm#6

The Tribune – Plan on track to revamp railways: Bansal

Aarti Kapur, Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 18. The Indian Railways will have a new face in the near future with Union Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal conceptualising a number of innovative plans for its expansion and renovation.

Interacting with The Tribune, Bansal said the country would require 33,000 more railway coaches over the next five years. The present number was 51,000.

To meet the demand, the ministry was planning to set up more rail coach factories in the country. He said the Haryana Government had recently offered land in the state to set up a coach factory and the railway officials were evaluating the feasibilities of the area proposed by the state.

Passengers’ safety was on top of the agenda and the railways planned to spend Rs 1.10 lakh crore on improving their safety in the next five years, the minister added.

A proposal to set up a railway Information Technology unit in Chandigarh was also in the pipeline. The railways had around 700 acres at its disposal in the city.

He said officials were working on the possibility of installing railway signal link and anti-collision devices here.

On improving the standard of food being served in trains, Bansal said they proposed to set up mini pantries in coaches. These pantries will have the provision for refrigeration and microwave oven to preserve and serve hot food.

In a bid to improve the quality of food, the ministry had chalked out a plan to set up state-of-the-art base kitchens at stations. The railways would allocate land to contractors to set up the kitchens, from where food would be served to the commuters in trains.

He said the railways was unable to provide mineral water bottles in all trains since only 6.50 lakh bottles were being supplied to it per day as against the requirement of 28 lakh bottles.

This problem would be resolved with the setting up of base kitchens at railway stations, the minister said.

Bansal said to reduce rail accidents on unmanned railway crossings, the ministry proposed to construct overpasses, for which 10 states had already given their concurrence to share 50 per cent of the construction cost.

He said there were 32,000 level crossings in the country, of which 18,000 were manned and 14,000 unmanned.

The ministry had recently mooted a proposal to permit the construction of overpasses at level crossings after conducting a survey of rail traffic on such sections. The ministry and the state would bear 50 per cent of the construction cost.

Bansal said instructions had been issued to all states seeking new tracks in their area to share the construction cost of the tracks besides providing land for the same.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121219/nation.htm#2