Transits challan available in ‘black market’ in Assam

JOWAI: Transits challan for transportation of coal from Jaintia Hills to Beltola in Assam under the NGT order are readily available in the ‘black market’ and are being sold at a higher price in Beltola to local traders who purchase coal from Jaintia Hills and sell the same to traders in Assam.
Sources on Thursday informed that in the price of one transit challan ranges between Rs.12,000 to Rs.14,500.  “This morning challans were sold at Rs.14,500 each but in the evening the rate was lowered to Rs. 13,900,” informed one of the local traders.
‘PC’ forms of the Sales Tax department were also being sold at Rs.950 to Rs.1000 per truck. The actual cost of ‘P’ forms is Rs.241.
Coal can be transported from the coal belts only with valid transits challan attached with PC forms beside other documents.
Interestingly, there is a huge shortage of transit challans in East Jaintia Hills and many local traders have been forced to buy the same from Beltola at much higher prices.
“Transits Challan are available in huge stocks with these Assam-based coal traders,” lamented a coal trader from Ladrymbai while informing that over 10,000 transits challans were available in Beltola whereas in East Jaintia Hills there was an acute shortage of the same.
Asked if they had any knowledge of how transit challans were available with coal traders in Assam, the local traders replied that several coal traders based in East Jaintia Hills had paid the royalty amount on the assessed coal as per the NGT order with financial help from Assam-based coal traders who were now dictating terms to the local traders.