TURA: A shipment of illegal coal amounting to several hundred tons of the black gold that was being transported out in 13 large trucks under cover of darkness through the Garo Hills route has been seized by police in North Garo Hills early Tuesday morning.
This seizure follows close on the footsteps of the large scale seizure of illegal coal at Malangkona village of West Khasi Hills, last month, in which 83 trucks were found with the consignment hidden in a jungle. In that seizure at Mallangkona, the involvement of a local politician from the area has been alleged.
Early Tuesday morning, police teams on deployment for patrol duty in view of the daylong protest closure called by student and protest groups across Garo Hills chanced upon the convoy carrying the illegal consignment at Tapa Darengchi village, 12 kms from Resubelpara district headquarters.
“The officer along with his security force from Tapa Darengchi police camp was moving on the road just before daybreak as part of law and order deployment when they spotted a column of trucks parked near Sepikol on the Songsak to Mendipather road. On seeing the police team from afar, the drivers quickly abandoned their trucks and fled into the jungles. We have seized all 13 trucks,” informed North Garo Hills Superintendent of Police Abraham T Sangma.
The magnitude of the seizure was immensely large with the huge 12 wheeled trucks carrying dozens of tons of the mineral concealed beneath canvas sheets atop.
North Garo Hills police have begun an investigation to ascertain the owners of the trucks and from where the illegal consignment came from. It will be a herculean task for investigators.
The Songsak to Mendipathar via Gajing (Resubelpara) route is a state highway into which different roads connect at Tapa Darengchi village.
Illegal coal from Shallang in West Khasi Hills is routed through the Rongjeng and Darugre road that passes through Dagal and touches Tapa Darengchi.
Similarly, coal illegally extracted from Nangalbibra in South Garo Hills or the Rongrenggre reserve forests outside of Williamnagar town are transported through Songsak road which also connects at Tapa Darengchi from where it moves out to neighbouring Assam.
The complicity of villagers in the illegal transportation of coal has also come to the fore. It has been revealed to police that some villagers have been aiding the illegal trade by directing the trucks through village back roads to avoid detection whenever there is police deployment on the Songsak-Mendipather road.
Villagers are said to be paid handsomely by the truckers to escort them through the interior roads from Soksan village to Mendipather.