The A’chik Holistic Awakening Movement (AHAM) has written to the Chief Secretary, Rebecca V Suchiang accusing a company in Assam of transporting illegally mined coal from Meghalaya to Bangladesh.
In a letter to the CS, the pressure group said that on December 1, the Mining and Geology Department gave permission to Jai Maa Coal Pvt Ltd of Beltola, Guwahati, to export and transport coal that originated outside Meghalaya to Bangladesh via the Gasuapara Land Customs Station in Garo Hills.
Permission had also been given by the Deputy Commissioner of South Garo Hills to Maruti Fuel Dudnoi Assam Coal Exporters to transport coal through the district en route to Gasuapara. The Director of Mineral Resources had also named Babul S Marak as the successful bidder in an auction of coal lying at Rongding, South Garo Hills.
However, AHAM alleged that Jai Maa Coal was not exporting coal from outside Meghalaya to Bangladesh but the state’s own coal, “motivating a lot of people to indulge in illegal and unscientific mining in the state in general and in South Garo Hills in particular”.
It levelled a similar accusation against Maruti Fuel, saying that it was loading freshly-mined coal from within South Garo Hills. With regards to Babul Marak, AHAM said that there is no coal in Rongding; instead he is using the permission he received to transport newly-mined coal that has been illegally extracted.
Another issue brought to the CS’s notice is the poor quality of roads and highways in the district, made worse by, AHAM said, overloaded coal trucks with no checks being put in place by the authorities, who are looking after their own vested interests.
