NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has banked on the MB Shah Commission report and its own secret inquiry into a list of nearly 350 files allegedly kept pending by former environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan to lodge two preliminary enquiries on environmental clearances given for mining in Jharkhand forests. CBI could question Natarajan on both PEs, a senior official told ET on Tuesday.He added that CBI has been looking at the list of nearly 350 files allegedly held back by Natarajan and her office. An official memorandum was issued in January after Veerappa Moily took over from Natarajan as the environment minister, which showed nearly 120 files signed by Natarajan were still held back by her while many unsigned files, some dating back to 2011, were returned too."We have been going through the list to ascertain why files were being held back though signed," the senior CBI official said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections alleged that there was a "Jayanti tax" in the Environment Ministry. "We had heard of income, sales and excise taxes but for the first time, we heard about a Jayanthi tax in Delhi without which nothing was moving," Modi had said.CBI has also taken note of the Justice MB Shah Commission report which had criticised the granting of mining rights in Jharkhand forests to JSW Steel and Jindal Steel and Power Limited in May 2013 by the Environment Ministry.CBI PEs have been lodged against unknown officials of the companies and Environment Ministry officials. In 2013, the forest advisory committee of the ministry gave permission for diversion of 512.43 hectares of forest land in Saranda for iron ore mining by JSPL and for diversion of another 998.70 hectares of forest land for mining of Iron and Manganese Ore by JSW Steel.The MB Shah Commission Report criticised these decisions. Natarajan could not be contacted for a comment. But sources close to her explained that the permission to JSPL as well as JSW Steel to carry out mining in Jharkhand was approved by the Cabinet Committee of Investment headed by then prime minister Manmohan Singh. Natarajan’s predecessor, Jairam Ramesh, had however voiced his objection in a letter to Singh regarding both the FAC and CCI decision."We are procuring all documents regarding the environment clearances given. If everything is found in order and CCI clearances are verified, the PEs can be closed as well," a top CBI official said.