Rat hole mining: Admin gets tough
SHILLONG: Meghalaya Director General of Police (DGP) Peter James Pyngrope Hanaman has asserted that the state police would implement in letter and spirit the order of National Green Tribunal banning rat hole mining in the state.
Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, Hanaman said the police would book cases under sections 144 CrPC, 133 CrPC and 188 IPC against anyone who violated the recent order of NGT.
Stating that that police had no option but to implement the order, Hanaman said that all the Superintendents of Police had been instructed to coordinate with the deputy commissioners, respective departments concerned including district council to ensure that the NGT order was adhered to in letter and spirit.
Hanaman said that the ban against mining and transportation of coal could be affecting the livelihood of many but pointed out that as the NGT had thrown the ball in the court of the police for ensuring that everybody followed its order, the police department would ensure that the order was strictly followed.
According to him, he had to file his response to NGT by Thursday, adding most of the people in the state so far had accepted the order of the NGT.
He added that the department had officially received the certified copy of the NGT on May 9 but the police department on April 25 had communicated to all SPs on the need to take all logistics required for implementation of the order. Reacting to a query, he said that police has already started its crackdown on the rat hole mining activities even as he admitted that it would take some time to completely stop the rat hole mining in the state.
When asked whether the order of NGT would increase crime rates in Jaintia hills, he said that police needed to put some mechanism in place to ensure that the crime rate remained under control.
On April 17 NGT had put a blanket ban on rat hole mining in the state after All Dimasa Students’ Union, Dima Hasao District Committee filed an application against the State of Meghalaya.