The Meghalaya People’s Labour Union (MPLU) Jaintia Hills District Committee has asked authorities in the two districts of East Jaintia Hills and West Jaintia Hills to immediately put a stop to the ongoing illegal transportation of coal.
In a statement issued today, MPLU Jaintia Hills District president Albinus Lamurong expressed strong displeasure with the continued movement of illegal coal and demanded clarification from Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on the matter.
Alleging that the police and district officials in East Jaintia Hills and West Jaintia Hills have failed to put a stop to the illegal coal racket, Lamurong said, “Crores of rupees is being collected daily from coal trucks and nobody knows where this money goes.”
“The State exchequer is not getting anything from the present coal transportation. Sadly, the authorities are blind to what is going on,” he added.
The MPLU Jaintia Hills has also asked the chief minister to clarify within three days on this matter “so that all facts are brought to the fore”.
“We are not jealous of the wealth accumulation by some persons but we have the right to know if the State exchequer is benefitted from this daily movement of coal,” Lamurong said.
It may be mentioned that MPLU Jaintia Hills had on December 3 written to the Deputy Commissioner, East Jaintia Hills demanding action against illegal transportation of coal from the district. However, the Deputy Commissioner is yet to act or clarify on the demand.
