SHILLONG, June 6: Illegal coal mining has been rampant in East Jaintia Hills district despite the state government’s claim to the contrary.
Massive mounds of freshly extracted flanked the road to Krem Ule at Umpleng village where six miners have been trapped since May 30.
The deposit of fresh coal could be seen at Shi Kilo, Ar Kilo, Lai Kilo and Soo Kilo up to Umpleng.
A visit to the site revealed that there were several coal mines in and around Krem Ule where cranes were being used to extract coal. The road from Lad Sutnga to Cement Market at Umpleng was lined up with coke factories on either side with huge stockpiles of coal.
The Shillong Times team did not come across any mining activity on their way to Krem Ule. Some locals at the accident site said all mining activities stopped after Sunday’s accident.
Asked for his reaction to the illegal mining activities, Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui said the police and the district administration were trying their best to keep a tab on such activities.
“It is not possible for them to keep an eye on such illegalities, particularly if mining is being carried out in the remote areas far from the main roads,” he said.
Although the police are trying their best to check all illegal activities, some people have been taking advantage of the COVID-19 situation since the administration is involved with pandemic relief and containment, Rymbui said.
He said the police is proposing to upgrade various outposts and beat houses to be able to monitor these illegalities in a more effective way.
Rymbui asserted that the government will take action against any persons found to be involved in these illegal activities.
On the freshly-mined coal along the road from Shi Kilo to Umpleng, the Minister expressed his inability to confirm whether the coal was freshly dug or not.
East Jaintia Hills DC, Ethelbert Kharmalki concurred, saying that keeping tabs on mining activities in remote corners of the district was a tall task, particularly due to the lack of an adequate number of magistrates and police personnel.
He said more than 50 magistrates have been deployed on the ground and it was not in his hands to appoint more for checking illegal mining activities.
