The West Khasi Hills district administration is set to dismantle about 57 illegal coke oven plants in Shallang area, out of which four were destroyed till today.
Sources said, 14 coke plants received single-window clearances and have not received the Consent to Establish (CTE) and Consent to Operate (CTO) under the Air & Water Act.
The dismantling exercise was carried out from July 7 by authorities in compliance with the Meghalaya High Court orders to remove all illegal coke oven plants in the State.
Today, three chimneys of the illegal coke oven factories were dismantled through a controlled explosion.
Once the plants are demolished, that will help curtail the extraction and trade in illegal coal, the authorities hope.
It may be mentioned that on February this year, the Meghalaya High Court has sought a report from Chief Secretary Donald P. Wahlang regarding departmental action taken against government officials of West Khasi Hills who failed to act against 57 illegal coke factories in the district.
“It is completely unacceptable to this court that a State government or its officials would be unaware of as many as 57 coke plants functioning in a clandestine manner during the night for such illegal plants to be shut down only pursuant to orders passed by this court upon receipt of public interest litigation,” the High Court had said.
The court also said that it finds the State’s stand on the entire issue of illegal mining of coal and functioning of illegal coke plants has been “less than satisfactory and, at the highest, equivocal,” and directed the State to ensure that no activity that requires a licence is carried on without the licence being obtained.