Justice (retired) B P Katakey, who heads the single member committee constituted by the Meghalaya High Court, today informed that a full proof system is in the offing to curb transportation of illegal coal in the guise of coal from outside the State.
“There are lots of allegations in the print and electronic media relating to the transportation of coal through Meghalaya to Bangladesh particularly. Allegations are that in the name of outside coal they are transporting local illegally mined coal. I want to stop that,” Katakey told media persons after chairing a meeting in the State secretariat.
Katakey said that his committee is working on revision of earlier standard operating procedures (SOPs) and stakeholders have been asked to submit their views in writing by next Monday.
“Thereafter we will take a decision on the revision of SOPs and accordingly request the State government to notify the SOPs. So I’m on that job presently,” he added.
Katakey said the committee has also taken views from operators of cement factories, ferro-alloy factories and coke oven plants on the standard operating procedure relating to transportation of coal originating from outside the State.
Informing that today’s meeting was a continuation of earlier meetings relating to the implementation of various directions of the NGT, Supreme Court as well as Meghalaya High Court, he said, “At least we could achieve one objective of shifting the entire available inventoried coal to the designated depot barring one claim in respect of South West Khasi Hills district.”
He said some people are now coming and claiming that their coal was in the inventoried list submitted to the Supreme Court.
“We are taking up that issue and also let me verify because there was a physical inspection conducted during 2022 by the Deputy Commissioner about the availability of that coal. We’ll also try to find out the reason why the drone survey didn’t cover it at all, if at all it was not covered,” he added.
He further said that he had asked the government to initiate the process for auction through CIL of around five lakh metric tons of inventoried coal in the designated depot.
He further informed that the coal which was put to auction in 2023 later part and early part of 2024 could not be lifted as there is no market because of the monsoon and other reasons given.
“I have requested the government to impose demurrage because these depots are set up over private land. The government has to pay rent to the landowners. The government has to employ persons to protect that coal or the designated depot because the Supreme Court says that the government is the custodian of the inventoried coal,” Katekey said.
