Even if the police force had the will, it does not have enough personnel to actively monitor the entire state for signs of illegal coal mining and transportation.
“It is very difficult to cover every inch day and night. That many police we don’t have,” Director General of Police Lajja Ram Bishnoi said today. “We are covering ground with mobile patrolling as and when complaints are received.”
Illegal coal mining has been a polarising issue. While the government insists that there is no illegal mining going on, opposition parties, pressure groups and social activists are adamant that the opposite is true, namely that the activity is rampant and that ministers and civil servants all get their cut.
While there is a shortage of boots on the ground, the state’s top cop said that a monitoring committee is already in place and has started using drones to check illegal mining.
One pressure group had even taken it upon itself to try and catch coal laden trucks, which it suspected were operating illegally, though it had its FIRs rejected by police. Bishnoi told reporters that he would look into this.
Asked about the many police check gates set up along highways, especially in coal-rich Jaiñtia Hills, and the allegations that they facilitate coal transportation for a fee, Bishnoi responded that the police are there to check vehicles for drugs and other illegal activities. If he receives specific allegations of bribe-taking from coal trucks then he will investigate.
Recently, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong ruled out the possibility of illegal transportation of coal. He also claimed only 1 lakh tonnes out of 31-32 lakh tonnes of extracted coal has been auctioned to date, insisting that all transportation of the mineral is legal as per challans processed by Coal India Ltd.
