SAIL PROJECT SCAM: Son of an Ex-IAS officer & Ex-LG riddled with Sales to FAKE Projects
SAIL officials conspire with multiple firms connected to a TMT Service Centre
On April 9, 2026, Bureaugram.com had broken the story how Vinod Gupta as Regional Manager of Southern Region of SAIL-CMO sold over 9,500 T of TMT including 350 T of TMT Coils to a proprietorship firm B. Rathish Balaji which was connected RBS which operates a service centre to make ready to use stirrups and bar bends which are subsequently sold in the market. B. Rathish Balaji takes GSTIN on November 28, 2019 and starts lifting TMT from Trichy branch of SAIL-CMO at heavy discounts from Jan 30, 2022. B. Rathish Balaji gained illegal benefit of over Rs 3.0 Crores and SAIL lost an equal amount of over Rs 3.0 Crores in the process of selling TMT to the FAKE Project.
Further investigations have taken Bureaugram.com to the doorsteps of another proprietorship firm named P Ramanujam.
Mobile Number – 9843055834 is the contact number of the contact person for B. Rathish Balaji and the next in series Mobile Number – 9843055835 belongs to P Ramanujam of RBS.
It has been gathered that supplies of TMT were started to P Ramanujam from the month of February 2019 and till January 2020, about 2,200 T was sold on heavy discounts in the name of FAKE Project. In between proprietorship firm B. Rathish Balaji was made by the RBS family. In Jan 2020 supplies to P Ramanujam were discontinued and started in B. Rathish Balaji.
1. What was the process followed to select B. Rathish Balaji and P Ramanujam to give subsidy of about Rs 3.50 CR?
2. Who advised RBS to bring new firms? Why TMT Bars were not sold directly to RBS?
3. What was being hidden through this jugglery, from whom and why?
If one has Political/Bureaucratic connections, one can own SAIL
Gupta, being son of a 1958 batch IAS officer Ishwari Prasad Gupta who was also Lieutenant Governor post his retirement, had a strong hold on the SAIL management. Out of 36 years of his career, about 31 years were spent by him in NCR. With the blessings of his father, he enjoyed all kinds of benefits viz. desired locations, desired lucrative posts, timely promotions etc. throughout his career in SAIL. It has been gathered that due to his influence on the SAIL system, he enjoyed freedom as well as impunity. Vinod Gupta agreed to go to Chennai as Regional Manager of Southern Region only because his son got admission in the SRM University there.
Vinod Gupta was suspended on Jan 19, 2024 along with other officers for being part of the process of sales to FAKE PROJECT - Venkatesh Infra Projects P Ltd. He has superannuated from SAIL on Apr 30, 2026 but the retiral benefits have been withheld. Had his IAS father been alive things could have been different.
If one has political or bureaucratic connections, one can get away with all kinds of sins in SAIL like unethical and immoral acts, dishonesty, corruption, doubtful integrity and other unscrupulous/nefarious actions. On the contrary SAIL management has the uncanny ability of making the lives of its honest and upright officers unliveable. The gory example of the Whistle Blower Rajeev Bhatia is before the readers, who has been given premature retirement to take revenge on him for exposing the corruption of Rs 800 Crore. SAIL has recovered a heavy price from him for his honesty, uprightness and integrity. Where management is ready to sacrifice SAIL for corruption, what value they would attach to an officer or his life?
About Ishwari Prasad Gupta
Ishwari Prasad Gupta was born on February 5, 1931 at Arrah in Bhojpur district of Bihar. He was a 1958 batch IAS officer of Manipur-Tripura cadre. He served as DC in Arunachal Pradesh and Chief Secretary too. He had also served as Tripura Chief Secretary. After retirement, he served as Andaman & Nicobar Lieutenant Governor (23.12.96 to 25.05.01) as his last assignment.
He also served as director/deputy secretary under Union Ministry of Home Affairs (1972 to 1975) besides Hill Commissioner of Manipur, advisor to Governor of Assam (Nov 1990 to June 1991), member of New Delhi-based Central Administrative Tribunal principal bench (June 1991 to February 1993), Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshdweep, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli state election commissioner (October 1994 to February 1996).
(The above article has been written based on extensive research and inputs from various sources including sources from SAIL)
