Cong to raise coal issue in Assembly

SHILLONG, Sep 4: With the Autumn Session of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly at hand, the Opposition Congress has said that it will broach the issue of illegal coal mining and transportation in the House.
Expressing discontent over government’s purported failure to check coal mining, Congress MLA, Mayralborn Syiem, said, “Everything is in open now. Just recently one truck capsized and that is why it came to limelight. There are so many (coal trucks) that go unnoticed.”
He said this while referring to the coal-laden trucks that pass through his constituency.
Recalling Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s statement that not all coals that are transported are illegal, Syiem said, “Hundreds of trucks pass by and we don’t know which (truck) has chalan and which does not. It is the duty of the law enforcers to check this.”
“Hundreds of trucks that are plying carrying coal and everyone knows that,” he asserted.
With regard to the mushrooming of coke factories in East Jaintia Hills, he said, “Illegal mining is on and the government is doing nothing about it.”