SHILLONG: Despite the tell-tale evidence of illegal transportation and extraction of coal, NPP-led MDA Government has continued to remain defiant on ordering a probe into the case.
A defiant Deputy Chief Minister, Prestone Tynsong who himself was a part of the delegation which had asked chief minister to deal with the issue of illegal transportation of coal along with other ministers, on Friday maintained that there was no illegal transportation while he dodged any mention of a probe into the matter.
Explaining the procedure, he said that as far as unclaimed coal, the matter pertaining to seized coal is sent to the Court and then Courts order for its disposal.
However, as far as the 32 lakh metric tonnes of coal is concerned, he said that the Supreme Court had accepted the report of the National Green Tribunal by auctioning it through laid down criteria.
“The criteria that the auction of old stock and the working plan has to be done by Coal India along with State Government which will be later submitted before the NGT for its approval”, he explained.
Tynsong said that a lot of work has gone in and the government is in its final stages of preparing the plan, he said while reacting to the allegations on delaying the coal auction.
He described the allegations made by the opposition as unsubstantiated and added that if its leader, Mukul Sangma has all the evidence, then he should place them all on the table of the house and make a presentation.
Earlier on Thursday, the leader of the opposition had stated that his visit to the coal depots itself was a huge evidence as the process of assessment of the coal in West Jaintia Hills in June this year was indicated at 1,41,000 metric tonnes, but the coal which are there is not even 20,000 metric tonnes.
Meanwhile, the Coal Miners’& Dealers’ Association (JCMDA) Youth Wing lambasted the MDA
government for being in denial mode about the presence of illegal transportation of coal.
The group has even petitioned the chief secretary on the matter saying that they fail to understand as to how coal can be illegally transported to Assam inspite of the DMR, district council check gates present at the exit points.