Ranchi, Jan. 13: Heads are likely to roll once the vigilance probe into the kerosene scam, ordered by chief minister Arjun Munda today, starts. The racket fleeced crores of rupees from below poverty line (BPL) families.

The chief minister has also instructed departmental proceedings against deputy commissioners who connived with kerosene dealers and increased the prices in violation of norms.

Deputy commissioners of Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Hazaribagh, Dhanbad, Giridih, Bokaro and Deoghar have been found guilty of increasing the rates arbitrarily, but the axe is likely to fall on those who started the practice.

The food and civil supplies department today handed over the files to the vigilance bureau, which will investigate into the scam which made Rs 25 crore by duping BPL families availing kerosene from public distribution system (PDS) outlets, sources said.

The department has also directed all districts to stop the excess 2.15 per cent commission for kerosene dealers.

The Centre fixes the rate of kerosene, including transportation cost, sales tax, turnover tax, wholesalers’ and PDS commission. But deputy commissioners of several districts added 2.15 per cent wholesalers’ commission to benefit the traders.

“Successive deputy commissioners of many districts followed the system, but many also refused. The vigilance probe would unravel all details,” they said.

“Estimated Rs 1.03 crore loss has been caused in Giridih, Rs 65 lakh in Deoghar and Rs 30 lakh in Ranchi. Figures of rest of the districts have not been calculated as yet. The vigilance probe will unearth the involved officials and amount,” sources said. The then Ranchi deputy commissioner Sukhdev Singh had refused to allow additional commission but his successor Jaishankar Tiwari gave the permission, sources said.

“The court directed that the deputy commissioner settle the matter. The petitioners again sought the court’s intervention when the deputy commissioner turned them down saying it was Union government’s prerogative.

“The court then directed them to approach the Centre. However, the dealers ignored the order and convinced the deputy commissioner, who succeeded the earlier one, to allow them 2.15 per cent commission by showing him the court’s first order,” sources said. Later this malpractice was adopted in other districts too. “The racket was unearthed when when the Giridih deputy commissioner sought the department’s opinion in continuing the practice,” sources said.