Tura, Dec 14: Protests have been lodged with authorities in North Garo Hills after a businessman-cum-politician close to the ruling NPP party allegedly set up a toll collection gate at Dainadubi’s Wageasi, on the national highway 62, to collect “toll” from trucks that have begun ferrying auctioned coal from South Garo Hills.
Opposition Congress legislator from Dainadubi, Marthon J Sangma, has registered a strong complaint with North Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner RP Marak accusing NPP member Sanjay A Sangma from Tura of deliberately violating the order of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council by setting up a monopoly collection point.
His complaint comes after pressure group Garoland State Movement Committee (GSMC) Dainadubi regional unit lodged a complaint with him accusing the NPP leader of setting up a gate with signboard “Coal Monopoly Wageasi” ostensibly to collect toll from passing coal trucks.
The businessman is a former NPP candidate who had unsuccessfully contested the last assembly elections from Mahendraganj constituency against former chief minister Mukul Sangma’s wife, Dikkanchi D Shira in South West Garo Hills district.
According to the complainants, Sanjay A Sangma received an order from the GHADC allocating him the lease for collection of coal only from coal dumping markets at a rate of Rs 50 per metric ton. The lease was given for a period of only one year at a cost of three lakh rupees in auction.
Also, the order specifically mentions that there is no authorisation for collection of any toll from coal laden trucks on the move.
However, the GSMC has raised complaints that the lessee is targeting the trucks that have begun carrying the auctioned coal from Garo Hills towards Assam.
“The collection of toll from coal-laden trucks is totally illegal and amounts to extortion as the order given by the GHADC Secretary mandates the lessee of monopoly to collect only from the coal markets and not from the coal laden trucks plying on NH 62,” stated the Mendipathar legislator in his complaint to the deputy commissioner.
Over thirty thousand metric tons of coal recently cleared for shipment will be loaded into hundreds of trucks for the next several weeks for export to Assam and the rest of the country. The coal-laden trucks will have to ply through the coal transit route of NH 62 that moves from Dainadubi and Wageasi.