Violation of Tribunal order alleged
Our Bureau
New Delhi/Jowai: The State Coordination Committee of Coal Owners’, Miners’ and Dealers’ Forum, Meghalaya, (SCCCOMDF) has filed an application before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) seeking action against the Meghalaya Government for non-compliance and contempt of court.
NGT will hear the application on Tuesday, official sources informed on Thursday.
The Meghalaya Chief Secretary, the Additional Chief Secretary and the Commissioner of Transport, have been made parties in the case.
The Forum, fighting against the coal mining ban in the Hill State, in its application said that the State Government was not allowing use of 3-axle 19 MT capacity trucks for transporting coal which was allowed by the NGT itself in July this year.
This has caused financial loses and hardship to them, since they are forced to use small capacity trucks paying more taxes and making more trips involving more manpower, the Forum said.
The Forum had written an application to the Commissioner in charge of Transport last month to allow them to use 19 MT capacity trucks as per the NGT order but did not receive any reply, said P. Yobin, counsel for the Forum.
The Government has also not permitted use of the 19 MT capacity trucks as yet, he said.
The Government’s action seems to be deliberate and willful violation of the NGT order for which the Forum has filed the case, the counsel said.
The NGT in July had permitted transportation of the extracted coal in Meghalaya up to November end.
Adjudicating on a slew of petitions in New Delhi on August 2, the Tribunal’s Principal Bench led by Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar had accorded extension of time for payment of royalty on the extracted coal up to September 30, and coal transportation up to November 30. But this was subject to conditions and their strict compliance.
“The time is being extended as the last and final opportunity to the state government,” the Bench had ordered.