Date:29/09/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/09/29/stories/2004092904771200.htm

National

Lalu busts racket in overload of bulk carriage

By K. Balchand

PATNA, SEPT. 28. The Railway Minister, Lalu Prasad, said here today that he had busted a major racket of overloading bulk carriage causing revenue loss not only to the Railways but also the mining sectors besides smuggling of mineral resources out of the country.

He told reporters that he had ordered a countrywide inspection of goods trains and 100 rakes were checked in nine railways zones on Monday. The inspection of 60 rakes so far had shown that over 2,121 tonnes of coal, coal dust, iron ore, and manganese had been loaded in excess of what the consignors and consignees had declared.

Mr. Lalu Prasad was himself present at Muri in Jharkhand supervising one such raid. The weighing bridge failed, however, with the result that the entire rake had been ordered to be taken to Asansol in West Bengal.

The Minister today released a list showing 11 instances in which "big players" indulged in over-loading for their own financial gains in "connivance" with Railway officials and mining authorities. In just one day, 2,221 tonnes in excess of what had been shown in the documents had been transported.