Bhopal: ₹443 Crore Fine Imposed On BJP MLA Sanjay Pathak’s Firms

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The mining department has imposed a fine of over ₹443 crore and recommended recovery of GST accordingly from the companies of BJP legislator Sanjay Pathak.

The mining department set up a team to probe the mining done by the companies owned by Pathak.

In its report, the team recommended imposition of a fine. Minister Chaitanya Kashyap gave the information to the House in reply to a question raised by legislator Abhijit Shah.

The minister said Anand Mining Corporation at Sehora Tehsil in Jabalpur district, Nirmala Minerals, and Pacific Export had mined more than they were authorised to do. A complaint about it was sent to EOW.

Asutosh Manu Dikshit complained to EOW, saying that those companies had done extra mining and did not deposit ₹1,000 crore in the government coffers.

EOW sent the complaint to the mining department, which set up an inquiry committee. The government is acting on the recommendations of the committee.

The legislator wanted to know whether the government had acted on a decision of the Supreme Court in 2017 for imposing a fine and making recovery of interest. The government assured the House that it would act on the issue.

The government’s reply on the Pathak’s firms made it clear that the inquiry team had handed over its report to the government on June 6. But the mining department has yet to recover any amount from Pathak.