Editor,
While the whole state is reeling under the election mood and busy preparing for voting, very quietly what is today called the ‘High Level’ and Coal Mafia are having they heyday as there is no one to disturb them. Crores of rupees are laundered every night without paying taxes to the Government. Recently 6000 MT of the Coal India Ltd auctioned coal was allowed to be transported and lifted from the designated depot. Surprisingly more than 6000 coal laden trucks were allowed to transport the coal to Assam via the Ratacherra check gate of Meghalaya. How can this happen? The successful bidder and the so-called High Level did not lift the coal from the designated depot. Instead they transported coal from illegal mines and the same papers were used repeatedly by Various coal trucks to transport their coal.
Trucks of the ‘High Level’ do n ot carry challans with them as they are hand-in-gloves with the officials. Whenever anything happens to these coal-laded trucks such as accidents etc., and their consignment is exposed, within a fraction of time someone from the High Level immediately appears at the Police Stations along with the challans to prove that what is being carried is legal coal.
Whenever a coal truck is shown to be caught by pressure groups or police, false (not fake) challans are produced. The challans are false in the sense that the registration number of the coal truck caught by the police or pressure groups does not match with the truck number of the GPS number mentioned on the challan produced by the High Level. This is a big scam in which the officers at the higher levels and the mafia are involved.
The auctioned coal is still lying at the designated Coal India Ltd depot in East Jaintia Hills. The coal transported by the successful bidder was not lifted from the Depot but from illegal mines. The challans are easily renewable several times again and again as per the wishes and choice of the High Levels. The quality of coal mentioned in the auction notice and the quality of coal transported by coal trucks are different.
The seized coal recently auctioned by the Deputy Commissioner, East Jaintia Hills District is also transported in the same way. The Coal Depots which are not even approved by the competent authorities already have coal stacked in them without any transit pass issued or permission to stock coal in them. Even the origin of such coal is questionable.
Every night more than 300 illegal coal trucks carrying illegally mined coal are allowed to exit from Meghakaya to Assam via Ratacherra Checkgate of the Meghalaya Government in East Jaintia Hills District. This is done under the direct supervision of the ‘High Levels’ and the assistance of the officials. Each truck is charged Rs 1.30 lakh (One Lakh Thirty Thousand Rupees) by the High Level for easy passage all through their journey.
It is high time that some locations, especially the business activities of the High Level are being put under surveillance by Central Agencies. The place where they enter the truck numbers of coal carrying trucks at East Jaintia Hills where the payments are made etc., should be raided regularly. Surprisingly, or perhaps not surprisingly there is a widespread rumour that the private vehicles with fully tinted glasses and sometimes the police themselves are the couriers of illegal money which is being transported to safe locations during this time.
Unless and until some of the officers along with the members of the High Level are sent to jail, this menace will continue and very soon the State will go to the dogs.
It is only the Hon’ble High Court that can save our State from the grip of corruption and the fists of slavery. It is high time for the Meghalaya High Court to direct the Central Agencies to raid the places of the suspects and bring some of the criminals involved in the scam to book. Even a preventive detention of all the members of the ‘High Levels’ and officials involved will help.
Yours etc.,
Name withheld on request,
Via email
On EVMs VPAT challenge votes
Editor,
At the outset it is the prerogative of the Election Commission of India to advise the electorates to hear no rumour and spread no rumour. The EVM machine is not linked to the internet and cyber tampering is impossible. That all buttons stamp on the BJP is a lie. One needs permutation and combination of millions to achieve that level of accuracy if at all that’s possible, especially in our country with a dozen or more candidates from a constituency.
However the experience of the three voters in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls needs clarification from the ECI. Yes, as had been written in this paper, it was unfortunate that despite the order of the Supreme Court on two occasions, the ECI sat on those orders until the poll results were out. We the voters obeying the democratic process are eager to exercise our rights. And when we press the button in favour of the candidate, the VPAT has done a marvellous job to give us the correct outcome.
But on complaint that the VPAT did not show the symbol and name of the person we have voted for, the ECI challenged us voters instead to prove the veracity of our complaints by challenging with a certain amount of money for the task of verification to be taken up. Why would anyone risk paying money, no matter how big or small the amount is, on a machine which may function perfectly well? This challenge on voters is unconstitutional.
The manner in which the three persons were treated over this matter has not yet been reconciled and remains a faultline of the EVM and ECI. A machine is a machine. Please reply as to what is being done as far as the fault of the VPAT in the last LS poll is concerned. If it is not rectified the stigma will never leave the voters and might discourage other voters.
Yours etc.,
Passah,
Nongkrem
Money power is real
Editor,
Albert Thyrniang’s Special Article “Election 2023: Money the irresistible factor” (ST Feb 21, 2023) made interesting reading and he has rightly sent a message, “not to let money decide who you press the button for.” But there is a big problem. Why do you accept that worthless piece of paper? The reason is faith; you have faith whether you are secular or not that when you take that piece of paper to someone they will also accept it and give you something real that you want. If you feel that nobody will accept that paper then you won’t accept it either. In the words of Prof. Walker Hicks “Money is what money does”.
Yours etc.,
VK Lyngdoh,
Via email