We see trucks, govt doesn’t: Ri Bhoi MLA

SHILLONG, July 10: Trucks turning turtle on the highway through Ri Bhoi district reveals the “ugly truth” of illegal transportation of coal despite the government choosing to remain blind, Nongpoh MLA Mayralborn Syiem said.
“People staying along the national highway and I have seen coal trucks plying on a regular basis. We have been raising our voices but the government has been turning a deaf ear,” he said.
The coal trucks move at night and create enough noise for the authorities to not hear them, the MLA said.
“The government is adamant but we hope they will take cognisance of quite a lot of these trucks (transporting coal),” he added.
He said the police and officials at the check gates should be the ones to see and check. “This is not happening and one can assume how far nexus runs,” he said.
Claiming that heaps of unclaimed coal have been auctioned and are being transported, Syiem said, “We know that the government, through the Mining department, has released some challans for unclaimed coal but there is a process going on.”
He said the people involved lodge an FIR against their own coal as unclaimed after which the matter is taken to the court to be eventually auctioned off.
“The operation is being done by professionals. They know what to show and what to hide. The government is losing a lot in revenue,” the MLA said.
Police had on May 15 detected three coal-laden trucks – ML-10C-1601 driven by Arjinus Warjri, AS-01HC-2391 driven by Pynshongdor Jalong and AS-25AC-0210 driven by Shantilor Kharthangmaw – at Lad Umsaw in Ri Bhoi district. These trucks were illegally transporting coal in violation of the National Green Tribunal’s order.
Following allegations of illegal transportation of coal, Chairman of the State Programme Implementation and Monitoring Committee, Saleng Sangma, made an inspection in North Garo Hills and detected a few trucks ferrying coal illegally.