HC intervention sought on illegal coal mining in state

SHILLONG: The intervention of the High Court of Meghalaya was sought regarding illegal coal mining in Meghalaya.
Advocate AS Siddiqui, on behalf of the petitioner, Abdul Ahad Choudhury, petitioned the Joint Registrar of the court for urgent listing of a writ petition in this regard.
The letter said that despite the directions of the National Green Tribunal and the Supreme Court preventing “rat hole” mining and transportation and export of coal from Meghalaya, the same continues unabated and in the process, the state is losing crores of rupees every day besides causing degradation of environment immensely.
“The illegal transactions are proving impediments to those, like the petitioner, who are the registered coal traders as they cannot compete with the coal mafia who are carrying on with their trade without paying revenue to the state”, the letter said. According to the petitioner, the state of affairs requires immediate probe by an impartial agency like the CBI as the entire state machinery is involved in the illegal minting of money.
The petitioner said he is filing a writ petition in this regard which needs an urgent consideration to save the public exchequer from immense loss on a daily basis.