The Gravel Game
The persistent refusal by the Haryana Directorate of Industries to follow the time honoured practice of leasing out by public auction quarrying rights for bajri ( gravel) along the Ghaggar belt in Panchkula has cost the exchequer lakhs of rupees. The department adopted the arbitrary procedure of giving monopoly rights to one particular contractor, Amir Chand Singla, and his associates during the Emergency. This was done under pressure from some political bosses, who allegedly included the son and son- in- law of Bansi Lal, then defence minister, and former Haryana chief minister B. D. Gupta. The quantum of loss to the exchequer may be gauged from the fact that the open auction of quarrying rights on April 14 this year has netted a sum of Rs 4.77 lakh as against Rs 2.50 lakh earned through the “permit” system in 1976- 77. Interestingly, the present auction confers quarrying rights for two and a half months only in 26 villages, while the Emergency “permits” were valid for 12 months and extended the rights to about 55 villages along the Ghaggar belt. It would not be unreasonable to believe that the extracted quantity of stones is far in excess of what is shown in the permits. This fact can be verified from the stone crushers who are registered dealers and income tax payees. It can be further cross- checked with relevant entries at the Haryana sales tax barriers where every outgoing truck loaded with bajri is recorded in the sales tax form number 24.