<div>Concerned over a large number of officials joining private companies after retirement, a Parliamentary panel asked the government to probe the "unholy nexus" between bureaucrats and the companies which were allocated coal blocks.<br /><br />The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Coal and Steel, headed by Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee, named three top officials who joined private firms after retirement.<br /><br />The officials named by the Committee are former Power Secretary R.V. Shahi -- an independent director of Jindal Steel and Power, former Chief Secretary of Jharkhand P.P. Sharma joining Abhijeet Group and former Coal India Chairman N.C. Jha joining Monnet Energy and Ispat.<br /><br />The Committee, however, did not go into the merits of whether these officers had violated government norms while joining the private companies. But, it expressed anguish over no inquiry being conducted on the issue by the Coal Ministry in past.<br /><br />"The Committee fail to understand as to why no inquiry has been conducted so far to expose the unholy nexus between such bureaucrats and coal companies who have been alloted captive coal blocks," said the Committee report tabled in Parliament.<br /><br />It also said that the officers in the ministries and PSUs "directly or indirectly connected with the allotment of coal blocks joining the private mining companies after their <br /><br />retirement raises serious doubts about their being impartial when they were associated with the process of allotment of coal blocks". .<br /><br />The report added: "The Committee, therefore, desire that the Ministry of Coal should immediately conduct an enquiry into the matter and furnish details of the officers of <br /><br />the Ministry of Coal, Coal India and its subsidiaries and CMPDIL who have joined private companies against the guidelines set for the purpose...<br /><br />"...action may be initiated against those officers who have joined private mining companies without prior permission of the government or the company as provided in Department of Personnel and Department of Public Enterprises guidelines." <br /><br />The Committee noted that Director level officers of coal companies need government permission regarding employment after retirement/VRS, while below Board-level <br /><br />officials of PSUs are required to seek permission from the respective companies to join private companies after retirement.<br /><br />(PTI)</div>
