Kolkata, Oct. 2 -- Former state Transport minister Snehasis Chakraborty is under the scanner over allegations that he secured a loan of nearly Rs 1 crore from a Hooghly-based cooperative society in alleged violation of its lending norms.
The probe has been initiated by Justice Biswajit Basu. Commission officials visited the Singti Agricultural Cooperative Society in Hooghly's Jangipara police station area on Wednesday, September 30, as part of its inquiry into alleged institutional corruption.
According to commission officials, the preliminary allegation is that Chakraborty, who was the chairman of the cooperative, allegedly used his position and influence to obtain the loan despite not meeting the society's eligibility criteria. The investigators are examining whether the loan was sanctioned in accordance with the cooperative's rules and applicable regulations.
The society's rules reportedly restrict loans to farmers and residents of a specified cluster of adjoining villages. The commission is now scrutinising whether Chakraborty fell within the prescribed eligibility category and whether due procedures were followed before the loan was sanctioned.
Officials reportedly seized several documents and records from the cooperative during Wednesday's visit. These are expected to be examined to establish the circumstances surrounding the sanction and disbursement of the loan.
The investigation is at a preliminary stage, and the allegations against Chakraborty are yet to be established. His response was not immediately available. Mamata Trinamool MLA Kunal Ghosh, however, demanded Chakraborty's arrest.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.