TURA, Jan 8: The 11 Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) MDCs, who recently joined the Trinamool Congress, on Saturday moved North Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner, RP Marak, seeking the latter’s immediate intervention into illegal transportation of coal, allegedly taking place in the district.
In a joint memorandum submitted to the DC, the MDCs maintained that the guidelines mandated for the transportation of auctioned coal were being blatantly violated in the district.
“The prescribed transportation permit, as per the official government order, is 9/12 tons per truck. However, the actual ground reality is that humongous dumpers and trucks are plying through NH-62 without legitimate official permits carrying more than 20 tons, which is more than the permitted weight. This illegal lobbying of overloaded trucks carrying coal is in clear violation of office orders as well as an open loot and robbery of our district council’s revenue,” the members contended, while pointing out that its royalty shares from the legitimate sale of the mineral could have been used to pay the pending salaries of the Council employees.
Stating that the illegal activity clearly results in the loss of the GHADC’s revenue, the MDCs sought the DC immediate intervention into the matter so as to avert any further loss of revenue.
The members also sought that officials of the concerned department be directed to check the illegal transportation of coal, thereby eventually putting a complete stop to the illegal activity.
‘The prescribed transportation permit, as per the official government order, is 9/12 tons per truck. However, the actual ground reality is that humongous dumpers and trucks are plying through NH-62 without legitimate official permits carrying more than 20 tons, which is more than the permitted weight’