The Meghalaya government has announced cash reward to people who provided information regarding illegal mining and transportation of coal in the State.
Monetary reward of Rs 5000 shall be given to the informant for providing credible information directly leading to seizure of the coal and vehicle carrying the illegal coal by the authorities.
A reward of Rs 5000 will be given by the Mining and Geology Department to the informant within four weeks. The department has also assured that the identity of the informant and the information provided by him will be kept confidential.
According to official sources, the Police Department has set up a toll free centralised helpline (1800-345-3846) where people can call and provide information about any illegal mining and transportation of coal.
“A person will be considered an informant if he furnishes the information according to the scheme and later he will be granted an informant code. After allotment of informant code, the person shall be identified only with the code,” sources said.
If the information is furnished by a group of more than one informant working together, informant code will be allotted separately to each of them. The reward in such cases shall be disbursed in equal proportion.
However, the informant will be rewarded if the information is not provided according to the scheme or if the information is vague and non-specific.
Further, no reward will be given if the information is already available with the Mining and Geology Department, if the information does not directly lead to discovery of illegal mining and transportation and if the information has been shared by the informant with any other person or any agency including the media.
No reward will also be granted under this scheme to any government servant, employee of a nationalised bank, public sector undertaking, corporation or establishment set up or owned by the Central government or State government.
It may be mentioned that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has earlier this year directed the Meghalaya government to frame a scheme to reward informers in case the information on illegal mining and transportation of coal provided by such informers is found to be true.
