Topic started by pandi (@ bbcache-10.singnet.com.sg) on Sun Sep 21 13:41:33 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

"CBI names two more in urea scam
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
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NEW DELHI, July 6: In a new twist to the probe into the urea scam, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has alleged that two officials of National Fertilizers Limited (NFL) colluded with the prime accused M Sambasiva Rao, in defrauding the public sector unit of crores of rupees in giving contracts for the supply of urea, agency sources said today.

The NFL awarded contracts for supply of urea to an American company, Amartek International, a Danish firm, Inter-trade International and a Bulgarian company, Bulsigma Limited without verifying their antecedents, the sources alleged. They claim that Sambasiva Rao had participated in these tenders on behalf of all these companies.

The NFL officials were alleged to have got letters of credit (LoC) issued for US $ 49,93,750 and US $ 37,18,750 for the American company, respectively, the sources said, adding that the agency had completed a preliminary inquiry in this regard a few weeks ago. However, the sources alleged that Rao never ensured supply of urea despite issuance of the letters of credit in time. The non-arrival of urea resulted in a huge loss to NFL as the bank recovered their charges from the date of issuance of LoC which was July 19, 1995 for the American firm and September 10, 1995 for the Denmark firm, the CBI alleged. Besides this, according to sources, a huge amount was blocked due to extension of LoCs after their validity.

The agency also alleged that some NFL officials at the behest of Sambasiva Rao also changed the name of the Danish company from Inter-trade International to Alabama International Inc, thus violating the tender sanctity. The NFL officials did not even forfeit the performance gaurantee bond from Alabama International after the latter failed to supply a grain of urea, the CBI said. The NFL officials thus violated all the norms and caused an undue benefit to Alabama International, the CBI said. The Bulgarian firm M/s Bulsigma Limited which bagged the order for supply of 2,000 metric tonnes of urea, neither submitted the required performance gaurantee bond nor supplied the urea.

This misuse of funds is in addition to the Rs 133 crore urea deal in which some officials of NFL, Turkish firm Karsan Limited and several others, including Sambasiva Rao, were allegedly involved.

The deal was signed in 1995 and the State Bank of India remitted $ 37.62 million in November that year to the bankers of Karsan Limited without insisting on bank guarantee. Reserve Bank rules state that any payment exceeding US $ 5,000 should be brought into the notice of its foreign exchange cell and the obtaining of a bank guarantee is a must in respect of import of non-capital goods such as urea. The two officials of the Karsan Limited Tuncayalankus and Cihan Karanci are still in Swiss custody after being arrested by the local police following a letter of request (letter rogatory) sent by the CBI. Acting on a similar letter, the Swiss authorities froze a bank account in which the deal amount of Rs 133 crore was deposited by NFL. The firm's failure to supply urea despite advance payment of the amount led to the arrests of relatives of top officials and kins of politicians.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
"
What happened to the urea?.How the indian media conveniently forget this?

Responses:

• From: pandi (@ bbcache-10.singnet.com.sg) on: Sun Sep 21 13:45:46 EDT 2003
  
  how many tonnes of urea arrived at indian port?
  
  
• From: pandi (@ bbcache-9.singnet.com.sg) on: Sun Sep 21 13:52:14 EDT 2003
  
  Where is the follow up?
  
  
• From: pandi (@ bbcache-14.singnet.com.sg) on: Sun Sep 21 14:22:06 EDT 2003
  
  Whether the indian media is following up the urea scam properly?
  
  
• From: pandi (@ bbcache-10.singnet.com.sg) on: Tue Sep 23 12:22:38 EDT 2003
  
  Nobody respond.99% tainted.
  
  
• From: pandi (@ bbcache-12.singnet.com.sg) on: Tue Sep 23 13:15:37 EDT 2003
  
  is it because of their so-called low cast?
  
  
• From: Suresh (@ 209.69.221.51) on: Mon Sep 29 13:13:00 EDT 2003
  
  I dont think so. They neither give exception to Jayalalitha.. Even Jayalalitha is being ripped off by our media
  
  
• From: pandi (@ bbcache-16.singnet.com.sg) on: Wed Oct 1 12:07:29 EDT 2003
  
  Why nobody send any reply?
  
  
• From: pandi or pand appa (@ bbcache-9.singnet.com.sg) on: Wed Oct 1 12:11:09 EDT 2003
  
  I think this is cuz of rajaram's gimmiks.
  
  
• From: pandi (@ bbcache-13.singnet.com.sg) on: Wed Oct 1 12:13:24 EDT 2003
  
  When jeya like people were pointed out?
  Please send me the relevant links.
  
  
• From: pandi appa (@ bbcache-12.singnet.com.sg) on: Wed Oct 1 12:20:57 EDT 2003
  
  "What is the alternative in Kerala?
  
  April 30, 2003
  
  
  'I have wandered into a lunatic asylum!' Swami Vivekananda reputedly exclaimed after touring the princely states of Travancore and Cochin.
  
  He was referring to the insane -- and sternly applied -- rules that governed the relationship between castes. Interestingly, by the time that he visited Kerala, both states had begun investing in modern education. (By 1939, when the advent of World War II deranged everything, Travancore and Cochin would be spending up to 25% of their annual budgets on schooling.) It would clearly be some time, however, before the early efforts began to pay off.
  
  Today, over a century after Swami Vivekananda's visit, much has changed. Kerala is now a society whose educational levels shame those of northern India. Sadly, there is far too much that has not changed; the gaps created by caste and creed remain as deep as ever. Have you ever wondered why Kerala suffers from so many splinter parties? Well, it is because there are political groups which make a living out of appealing to the narrow interests of one or the other section of society. And I don't mean just, say, Christians for instance, but even different denominations of that faith.
  
  This history goes a long way to explaining the action taken -- or rather the action not being taken -- against K Karunakaran. There is real danger that any such course will take on communal overtones, and thus boomerang on Sonia Gandhi herself.
  
  How so? To begin, the A K Antony ministry contains more non-Hindu ministers than it does representatives of the majority community. That fact has been registered even though nobody has made an issue of it -- so far. It has also been noted that the two most powerful leaders in the 'A' faction are Oomen Chandy and Antony himself, both of whom are Christians. And all this, some murmur, is merely part of a larger picture, that of a Christian caucus which is taking over the Congress party.
  
  There is Sonia Gandhi. There are her close aides in the Congress (I) headquarters, Margaret Alva, Oscar Fernandes, and V George. And besides Antony, there is another Christian chief minister, namely Ajit Jogi of Chhattisgarh. There is Rajashekhara Reddy, Sonia Gandhi's hand-picked nominee as leader of the Congress Legislative Party in Andhra Pradesh, a devout Christian despite the name.
  
  (Reddy was responsible for one of the biggest faux pas committed by the Congress (I). Sonia Gandhi visited the famed shrine at Tirupati -- not open to non-Hindus -- during the election campaign in 1999. The priests demanded that she sign the register at the gate declaring her belief in the Hindu faith. Reddy pushed them aside stating that there was no need for someone from her family to do so. The fact that one Christian was testifying for another went down badly in Andhra
  Pradesh.)
  
  The Karunakaran faction is all set to portray any disciplinary action taken against their leader as just another instance of 'anti-Hindu' vendetta. Is there any chance that this scenario shall be considered sympathetically? The Congress (I) high command would rather not take the risk of finding out; it knows that Karunakaran has already struck a chord with his immediate audience -- the MLAs in the Kerala assembly.
  
  Twenty-four MLAs have chosen to stick by the veteran leader irrespective of all the bullying and blandishments in the high command's power. Two of them -- both Hindus -- are members of the Antony ministry. (If action is taken against them for supporting Karunakaran's rebel candidate against the official nominees to the Rajya Sabha, the Hindu-non-Hindu ratio in the ministry shall worsen.)
  
  Those 24 MLAs are not enough to bring down the Antony government. But they are more than enough to split the Congress (I) in the assembly. Which in turn will leave the chief minister ever more dependent on the Muslim League and Christian-backed groups. And that, of course, simply offers even more opportunities to take pot-shots at Antony and Sonia Gandhi. Vayalar Ravi, Ramesh Chennithala, and some others are already clamouring for strict disciplinary action against Karunakaran. But the chances of any such thing happening are remote.
  
  Personally, when I look at this situation all I can do is to echo Swami Vivekananda. Readers know that I have no particular liking for the Congress (I) as such, but what is the alternative in Kerala? If the squabbling in the Congress (I) gets out of hand the only real beneficiaries will be the Left Democratic Front. And frankly I don't think my home state can stand another bout of Nayanar-ism! Or, for that matter, for any contrived Hindu-non-Hindu confrontation either..."
  
  
  
• From: pandi appa (@ bbcache-12.singnet.com.sg) on: Mon Oct 6 10:10:27 EDT 2003
  
  read stained as tainted
  
  

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