Dutta and Sarma

New Delhi, Sept. 8: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is yet to register a case on the multicrore rupee crude oil theft in Assam, more than three months after it was handed over to the apex investigating agency by the Tarun Gogoi government.

Subsequent to the decision by the state government to approach the agency, Assam police had compiled a dossier on cases registered in the state during the past several years related to the theft of crude oil.

It is learnt that soon after the dossier was dispatched to the CBI in June, the Delhi headquarters asked its Calcutta branch to screen the cases forwarded by the police. Out of 140 cases forwarded, only six were selected on the ground that these have national ramification.

Chief minister Tarun Gogoi today attributed the delay to the ?slow process associated when cases are referred to the agency?.

?The CBI has its own procedures which might take time. We are, however, not aware of the latest developments,? he said.

According to norms, after the completion of formalities, the CBI will ask the state government to issue a notification under Section 6 of the Delhi Police Special Establishment Act, 1946, and subsequently a case will be registered under Section 5 of the same act and investigations will begin.

The racket, with all the indications of involvement of top officials, was busted on April 13 when the police intercepted two oil tankers in Golaghat carrying crude oil. The alleged kingpin in the scam, Putul Gogoi, was arrested.

Two prominent ministers in the Gogoi cabinet had also found themselves embroiled in the controversy.

The Opposition AGP and the BJP targeted transport minister Anjan Dutta and minister of state for planning and development Himanta Biswa Sarma for their alleged complicity in the issue.

In fact, AGP members even came out with a set of three photographs showing the main accused in the crude scam Putul Gogoi with Dutta. While dutta had offered to resign, Sarma had actually put in his papers. The chief minister convinced both to stay on.

It is presumed that crude oil stolen from different oilfields and pipelines in Assam is taken to distant places like Punjab, Haryana and Delhi. Some tea gardens, brick kilns and other local units also buy the stolen crude at cheap rates and use it as fuel. It is estimated that a fully loaded 9,000-litre capacity tanker of crude oil apparently fetches around Rs 4 lakh.

What appears surprising, however, is the delay in realising the gravity of the pilferage even after several cases of theft were reported from oilfields managed by the Oil India Limited in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh and several cases registered by Assam police.