Petition in SC for coal transport

SHILLONG: With the state government completely stopping movement of coal-laden trucks, the coal dealers’ association has petitioned the Supreme Court for relief.
The intervention of the court was sought since many coal trucks were stranded after the Apex Court order on January 15 banning the transportation of coal. The court will hear the matter on March 26.
Though the government allowed the movement of coal-laden trucks in transit, later the respective deputy commissioners had to stop the transportation completely following confusion over detecting the trucks.
However, aggrieved over this, a special leave petition was recently filed in the Apex Court by the Meghalaya State Co-ordination Committee of Coal Owners, Miners, Exporters, Transporters and Dealers Forum on behalf of the Joint Action Committee of Nongalbibra, South Garo Hills.
The plea of the miners before the court is to pass instruction to the state government to allow transportation of those trucks stuck on roadsides, export routes and highways so that they can pass through the check gates and weighbridges before proceeding towards their destinations.
The coal miners had already procured challans after paying relevant fees before the ban on transportation of coal.
Earlier, the coal dealers’ forum and a delegation of Nongalbibra joint action committee had met the chief secretary regarding the issue.
According to the petitioner, there are many coal loaded trucks stranded in South and North Garo Hills districts and they were in transit before the Apex Court banned the transportation of already extracted coal on January 15.
Earlier during the hearing of the matter on February 19, the coal dealers’ forum, through the lawyers, had pleaded for resumption of coal mining activities as per the mining plans.
The court had already directed the Centre to decide on the coal mining activities within a month.