The United A’chik Youth Federation (UAYF), an NGO based in South West Khasi Hills, has urged the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to act on its complaint alleging falsification of coal quantities as by the district administration.
The UAYF had earlier filed a complaint with the NGT on December 7 objecting to the auctioning of coal in Ranikor Civil Subdivision that it claimed existed only on paper. According to the NGO, the idea behind auctioning the non-existent coal was to provide the necessary paperwork for the transport of illegally mined coal within the district.
“We questioned as to how a completely unreal and fabricated figure of the quantity of coal could be brought to the auction when, in reality, the coal doesn’t even exist as per the figure mentioned,” UAYF district President Sanggra Marak said today. “This clearly indicates the existence and practise of rat-hole mining even after stern restrictions were imposed by the Supreme Court.”
As per the order on October 6, 50 percent of the auctioned coal, or 26,612 tonnes, could be transported.
“Further violations are taking place as the trucks are loading more than the 12 tonnes per truck allowed to the discharge port in Bangladesh. We suspect the amount of coal going to be exported will certainly exceed the 50 percent allowed for transportation as the trucks are all overloaded,” Marak added.
