A fresh controversy has erupted surrounding the Jharkhand State Beverages Corporation Limited (JSBCL) with allegations of fraudulent bank guarantees and contract mismanagement.

Allegations have been made against the selected human resource agencies responsible for operating and managing liquor stores under the JSBCL for submitting fake bank guarantees to secure contracts. Calls for strict action from the government are intensifying, but no concrete steps have, so far, been taken.

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Former chief minister and BJP leader Babulal Marandi has written to the state chief secretary, demanding a high-level inquiry into the matter. He has called for blacklisting the guilty agencies and filing FIRs against them.

Marandi has also recommended stern action against the responsible officials of the JSBCL. He called it a serious case of economic crime that resulted in the loss to the state’s revenue and if such cases are not acted upon swiftly, it amounts to promoting corruption.

The complainant, Aman Kumar Singh from Chirkunda, Dhanbad, has submitted a formal complaint to the chief secretary of the Jharkhand government, accompanied by documentary evidence. According to the complaint, the JSBCL has been operating liquor stores through seven placement agencies since 2022, providing around 4500 workers. Two of these agencies – Marshan Innovative Security Pvt. Ltd., and Vision Hospitality Service & Consultants Pvt. Ltd. – are accused of submitting fake bank guarantees to obtain work orders.

The banks themselves uncovered the fraud. The Punjab and Sindh Bank’s Geeta Colony branch in New Delhi informed the JSBCL on January 31, 2024 that the bank guarantee submitted by the Vision Hospitality Service & Consultants Pvt. Ltd. was fake. Similarly, the Bandhan Bank from Kolkata informed the JSBCL on March 2, 2024 that the bank guarantee provided by the Marshan Innovative Security Pvt. Ltd. was also fraudulent.

Despite the banks’ revelations, the JSBCL has not conducted any investigation into these agencies, nor has any punitive action been taken in the case. Instead the accused agencies were allowed to continue their work. The complainant also alleges that JSBCL officials may be involved in this fraud as no concrete steps have been taken even after receiving written notifications from the banks.

Sources suggest that these two agencies have failed to deposit approximately ₹25 crore in revenue earned from the sale of liquor at the stores to the JSBCL. This information was also publicly published in the media, and the JSBCL confirmed it, yet neither FIRs have been filed against these agencies, nor have they been blacklisted. The role of the department is now under scrutiny.

It remains to be seen what steps the Jharkhand government takes in this matter. Will a strict action be taken against the agencies or the case will be buried? Experts are calling for an independent committee to conduct a fair investigation. If action is not taken against the guilty agencies and officials, this could become another example of administrative corruption in Jharkhand.