Shillong, Feb 8: East Jaintia Hills accounted for a staggering 1.80 lakh tonnes of illegal coal found exposed at dumps across the district, according to an aerial survey conducted by drone, but 20 percent (36,360 tonnes) were missing when district authorities visited these dumps in person.
This was stated in the Justice (retd) BP Katakey committee on coal’s 35th interim report, which was submitted on January 27.
Of the three other districts surveyed West Khasi Hills was stated to have 11,707 tonnes of illegal coal, of which 11,446 tonnes was found during on-site inspections, with 261.99 tonnes missing.
In South West Khasi Hills, 797.65 tonnes was found during aerial survey but only 5.6 tonnes was accounted for during on-site inspections, though the district authorities had not visited, or had yet to provide information, on seven dumps that were surveyed by air.
And in South Garo Hills, 35.01 tonnes was found during aerial survey and no coal whatsoever was found by the district authorities. The explanation quoted by Katakey’s report is that the coal is believed to have washed away in heavy rain, an argument that has even been used by Meghalaya ministers to explain discrepancies in coal figures elsewhere.
Katakey recommended that the entire quantity of 1.55 lakh tonnes of coal that has been found during in-person inspections be “transported immediately” to designated depots in order to prevent theft, etc, and then auctioned off legally.
He also recommended that FIRs be filed with police over the missing 37,449.53 tonnes of illegally mined coal “and to ensure expeditious completion of investigation and punishment of the persons involved in such illegal coal mining activities, which is necessary for sending the message to all concerned that illegal mining activities are not tolerated.”
The EJH authorities have been seizing coal in recent days following the deadly Thangsko mine explosion last week that has claimed the lives of at least 27 people. As of yesterday the quantity seized was less than 8,000 tonnes, making it a drop in the ocean of illegal coal in that district.
