SHILLONG: Lending credence to charges of coal scam, former KHADC chairman, PN Syiem has decried that the state government as well as the Autonomous District Councils were losing revenue to the illegal extraction and transportation of coal while demanding a thorough probe into the matter for the truth to come out before the public.
“It is sad to see the state with such a huge potential of mineral resources is losing revenue instead of improving it due to illegal transportation of coal,” Syiem said here on Thursday.
Stating that the revenue generated out of coal is also shared with the District Councils, he added that the leakage in the revenue is also resulting in the loss for the district councils.
All praise for the state BJP and the Opposition Leader, Mukul Sangma for continuing their tirade against the illegal mining and transportation of coal in the state, he demanded that the illegal trade should be stopped immediately.
According to Syiem, if there is anything illegal, the government must order an inquiry into this to give a clearer picture to the people of the state.
When asked about the recent seizure of trucks in Guwahati where some touts named the OSD to the Power Minister, he said that the government should order a probe into the matter for the truth to come out.
“It is too early to comment anything until and unless we have an inquiry into the matter since these reports have come out in media,” he said.
It may be mentioned that different political parties in the state including BJP and Congress besides several NGOs have been repeatedly asking the government to probe the allegations of illegal transportation but the government has turned down the demand while claiming that there is no illegal transportation of coal in the state.