SHILLONG: Former chief minister and Congress candidate from Tura Mukul Sangma has alleged that illegal coal mining taking place in the state is reflection of corruption.
Talking to The Shillong Times over phone on Monday, Sangma said that the NPP is peddling lies the way it did during the 2018 Assembly elections when it promised to lift the ban on coal mining if it came to power.
According to Sangma, the Supreme Court had to intervene and stop transportation of coal because it had smelt a rat and had inputs about the state government engaging in wrongdoing.
“These are the evidence of corruption and it’s shameful,” he said while expressing surprise at the government’s stand that it was unable to stop illegal coal mining in the state.
“Why was he (Conrad Sangma) denying illegal mining was taking place initially? Who was he protecting? He misled the Assembly as well,” Sangma said while adding that the government is also effecting transfers so that officers do its bidding.
Meanwhile, he also said that the NPP went hammer and tongs at the then MUA government blaming it over the delay in releasing the salaries of the teachers, but now the MDA government led by it has not even paid salaries to the Anganwadi workers, muster roll workers and even ad hoc employees.