Shillong, Dec 8: Tough terrain and remote locations often pose an issue for the authorities but the state government machinery remains committed to combatting illegal coal mining, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, who is also in charge of the Home Department, said today.
He was reacting to demands by the Meghalaya unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for a probe by the Enforcement Directorate into what it calls the rampant illegal coal trade in Meghalaya which is able to continue seemingly without interference from the government.
“We are trying our best to make sure that illegal mining does not take place at all,” Tynsong said today.
However, there are challenges to enforcement, such as coal mines being located in hard to reach areas. “You have to go walking and it takes you not less than 5-6 hours deep down to the gorge,” Tynsong said by way of example.
The Deputy CM also informed that the government has instructed the district administrations to be more proactive against illegal coal mining.
State BJP vice-president and Tura MDC Bernard Marak, who also chairs the party’s committee on illegal coal mining and transportation, revealed that the committee has already submitted its first inquiry report to the central government, while a second, more comprehensive report is under preparation.
The committee’s initial inquiry claims to have found out that police personnel receive Rs 4,000 per truck transporting illegal coal in Garo Hills, with Deputy Commissioners getting Rs 1,000 per truck and MLAs Rs 2,800 per truck to turn a blind eye.
Marak claimed that when 60 trucks ply in a day but challans are issued for only two, the massive revenue gap can only be explained by large-scale illegal movement.
