SHILLONG: Opposition leader Mukul Sangma continued his tirade against the NPP-led MDA government over illegal coal mining and transportation, saying he will quit politics if anyone can prove that the 32 lakh metric tonnes of extracted coal, as claimed by the government, have not been lifted from the site.
Speaking to media persons here on Friday after the Congress Legislature Party meeting, Sangma said, “I will quit politics if anyone can prove that the 32 lakh metric tonnes of extracted coal are yet to be lifted.”
According to him, the state had, in the inventory submitted to the Supreme Court, mentioned the quantity of coal available in each and every district.
The state government last year had filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court where it was mentioned that around 32 lakh metric tonnes of already extracted coal are available for auction or disposal.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had directed the Meghalaya government to furnish details on its claims that the state had over 32 lakh metric tonnes of coal.
Accordingly, the details along with the names of the coal mine owners and also the places where the coal depots are located were provided to the apex court.
Sharing details about the findings during his recent visit to Nengkra in East Garo Hills, Sangma said that the total quantity of unclaimed coal mentioned in the notification issued by the Directorate of Mineral Resources (DMR) on October 16, was 34,074 metric tonnes. “But during physical verification, I found that there are over 5,000 metric tonnes of unclaimed coal whereas the DMR has issued challans for 34,074 metric tonnes,” the leader of the CLP said.
Urging the chief secretary to ask for the challans first and then verify, he further alleged that this was the continuation of the modus operandi to facilitate illegal mining. “They don’t want resumption of legal mining in accordance with the judgment of the Supreme Court,” Sangma said.
Stating that none from the state government is responding to the lawlessness, illegal transportation, illegal mining and loss of revenue, he said that most of the government officers were being dictated to do certain things.
“By default there is a complete breakdown of government machinery. It ultimately attracts intervention from the government of India. How can officers have the courage to give to the government of India wrong reports and issue challans? Enough is enough and now it is time to save the state,” the leader of Opposition, said.
Warning officers “who go on acting as the agents of corrupt politicians,” the former chief minister said the party would take recourse to legal action to prove things beyond reasonable doubt.”
