‘Coal trucks with excess load being let off’
TURA: NH-62 Save Mission Committee, a Garo Hills-based social organisation, has complained to Chief Secretary K.S Kropha and the National Green Tribunal chairman about the Transport Department.
The organisation has alleged that the department, which is running two check gates, is collecting Rs 7,000 from each overloaded truck but was not offloading the excess coal.
The trucks carrying coal from Nangalbibra coal belt in South Garo Hills and Shallang in West Khasi Hills have been carrying excess coal to the tune of 25-30 metric tonnes (MT) even though the permitted weight is only 9 MT per vehicle.
“The staff manning the check gate at Depa Sarangma in North Garo Hills is collecting Rs 7,000 or more per truck without issuing official receipt against the amount. The practice of unloading of excess coal is solely for monetary gains as the trucks are allowed to pass through along with the excess coal once payment is made to the check gate staff,” alleged the NH-62 Save Mission Committee, which has been spearheading the issue for the last several months and had accused the Government of turning a blind eye to the problem.
The organisation also pointed out that a recent RTI report that it filed revealed widespread misappropriation of revenue from these gates by the Transport Department.
“The RTI report revealed that the revenue credited to the treasury was far less than what was collected from overloaded trucks. Also, only a handful of coal trucks were shown to have carried excess coal and were fined even though all coal trucks passing through the check gate were not let off without payment,” said the organisation in their complaint letter.
The alleged illegal collection of money from coal trucks was not limited to Depa Sarangma point of NH-62.
The NH-62 Save Mission Committee said another transport check gate is operating on the same highway located at Rongmil near Rongjeng in East Garo Hills where coal trucks have to cough up money again.
Coal truck drivers had earlier alleged that they were compelled to carry excess load to make up for the money they had to pay to transport officials, police, forest and village defense parties along the highway.
A visit to the stretch on any day when coal transport moves, beginning from Nangalbibra, Dobu, Nengkhra, Songsak, Rongjeng and beyond into Dainadubi, will show the extent of the corruption racket as young men armed with sticks and other lethal weapons jostle for a share of the extortion. The result is the extreme damage to the roads that happen to be the only lifeline for the people residing in that region, the organisation pointed out.
