The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered an FIR against some officials of Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd and three other companies on allegations of ignoring joint venture conditions giving advantage to private partners for a coal block allocated in 2003.

FIRs have also been filed against officials from Karnataka EMTA Coal Mines, EMTA and Gupta Coalfields and Washeries. The names of the officials were not revealed.

An official source said searches are being conducted at one place each in Bengaluru, Kolkata, New Delhi and Nagpur.

“It is alleged that the officials of state public sector unit, who had been allocated coal blocks, had shown undue favour to the private sector joint venture partner by deliberately ignoring and overlooking the joint venture conditions,” the official said.

“This gave huge undue pecuniary advantage to the private partner. The joint venture company in conspiracy with the private sector partner engaged in washing of coal in violation of the Ministry for Coal guidelines relating to rejects generated by the washery and sold them without prior permission,” the official added.

Karnataka Power Corporation was allotted the Kiloni, Manora Deep and Baranj I to IV coal blocks in 2003.

This is the 39th FIR filed by the CBI in the coal block allocation scam.

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