New Delhi, A bombshell of a letter sent to the then Chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (HPCL), Mr. M.K. Surana, by a Member of Parliament, seeking investigation reports on alleged corruption by top officials of the company is doing the rounds lately.
The letter, dated July 14, 2022, had at that time blown the lid off a web of deceit and corruption in HPCL that went all the way to the top. It involved Senior Officers who were accused of misusing their positions and siphoning off public money.
The MP had demanded that Mr. Surana should hand over all investigation reports carried out by the Vigilance Department against six senior officers, including Executive Directors and General Managers who were accused of corruption and misconduct.
The letter had specifically named Shri K.S. Shetty, Shri Subodh Battra, Shri Kannaru Srinivas, Shri V.K. Yadav, Shri Sunil Sanas, and Shri Sanjay Nagpal, as the officers against whom complaints were made.
Further, the MP had sought information on how the medical claims of the parents of two senior officers were settled, sparking allegations of nepotism and favouritism.
And in another shocking revelation, the letter mentioned large-scale corruption in Mumbai and Vishakhapatnam Refineries, which allegedly cost the public exchequer a whopping amount.
The MP had given an ultimatum of seven days to provide the names of officers who conducted investigations into these cases.All this subsequently sparked rumours of a massive cover-up.
This explosive developments had sent shockwaves through the corridors of power and raised questions about the integrity of top officials in Public Sector undertakings.
The matter having been asked by a Member of Parliament could not be just triffled away. But, see the irony, the powerful forces in Oil & Gas closed ranks and ensured that the misdeeds were buried much beyond anyone’s reach. This tells about the existence of a deep state within the state of India which operates without a fear or hesitation. If a Member of Parliament failed to penetrate the concrete like walls what can an ordinary citizen do? The then Chairman, HPCL, Mr Surana whose responsibility it was to provide the information, simply went on to complete his tenure peacefully without the information seeing the light of the day.
Readers will be surprised to note that it’s the same Mr. Surana who is part of the Search Committee which is to select a person for the post of Chairman, Indian Oil. The matter is most intriguing. Will like beget like.?
