Panel submits 19th interim report on coal illegalities in Meghalaya
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 12: The Justice (retired) BP Katakey-led one-man inquiry committee, which recently conducted field visits and observed that there is no let-up in the illegal mining and transportation of coal in the state, has refused to accept the report of East Jaintia Hills Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Baranwal that the coal found behind Don Bosco College at Byndihati is the inventoried coal of 2018.
In its 19th interim report filed in the High Court of Meghalaya, the Committee said the DC’s report is unacceptable due to multiple reasons.
One of the reasons is that the coordinates 25.318142 degrees North Latitude and 92.269927 degrees East Longitude mentioned by the Additional Deputy Commissioner of the district in the FIR dated 07/11/2023 and registered at the Khliehriat police station, do not tally with the coordinates mentioned in the inventory prepared by the then DC in 2018, which are 25.33249 degrees North and 92.373775 degrees East.
Moreover, the Committee said, the investigating officer (I/O) of Khliehriat police station, by his communication dated 21/11/2023, informed the DC that the coal dumps, as per the coordinates mentioned in the FIR, did not match during physical inspection of the coal dumps found behind Don Bosco College. During the investigation, the correct coordinates in respect of the coal dumps in question were found as 25.3326445 degrees North Latitude and 92.3734301 degrees East Longitude.
“The coordinates of the said coal dumps found by the I/O also do not tally with the coordinates 25.33249 degrees north, 92.373775 degrees east mentioned by the DC in his communication dated 21/11/2023 to the I/O of Khliehriat PS Case No. 87(11)23,” the 19th interim report said.
It added that the coordinates, as recorded in the subsequently prepared inventory list in 2018, and the coordinates found by the I/O during investigation in 2023, were different and hence, the coal found behind Don Bosco College cannot be the coal inventoried in 2018 and stated to be of Mul Sympli.
According to the Committee, the coal, found behind Don Bosco College during the field visit on November 7 this year being bright and shining, cannot be the one inventoried in 2018.
On the coal dumps found by the side of Don Bosco College, the Committee said the presence of coal dumps is an accepted position, adding that although the DC in his report dealt with the coal dumps found behind the college, the said report did not deal with the coal dumps found by the side of the college as well as two other coal dumps found in Byndihati area and by the side of the National Highway 6.
The FIR lodged by the ADC had not mentioned the availability of the said coal dumps by the side and near Don Bosco College.
During an interactive meeting held on December 8, 2023, the DC informed the Committee that he would visit the area on Monday (December 11) and submit a report immediately thereafter.
It appears from the materials made available by the Assistant Inspector General of Police (A), Meghalaya vide his communication dated 07/12/2023 that investigation into the said police station case is pending, the report of the Committee said.
The case was registered based on the FIR lodged by the ADC in respect of the coal found behind Don Bosco College at Byndihati and not in respect of the coal found by the side of the said college as well as two other coal dumps by the side of NH-6. “The investigation into the said PS case needs to be expedited under the supervision of a senior gazetted police officer,” the Committee’s report said, adding that no reason could be cited for not lodging any FIR as regards the coal found by the side of Don Bosco College, Byndihati and the two other coal dumps by the side of NH-6.
The Committee advised the DC and the SP of the district to look into this aspect and do the needful in accordance with law at the earliest.
On the illegal transportation of coal, the report said the fresh tyre marks of heavy vehicle observed during the field visit in and near the coal dumps behind Don Bosco College, indicate the transportation of illegally-mined coal to the area as the DC accepted that there is no transportation of any coal pursuant to the issuance of transit passes.
Although the Committee found the presence of active mines in the interior area of Byndihati during the field visit, the Executive Magistrate denied existence of any active mine in his November 8 report.
However, the Executive Magistrate admitted the existence of temporary huts alongside cranes which itself establishes continued operation, the Committee said in its report.
The Executive Magistrate’s report also did not mention if the cranes found near the mines were seized and if not, why. The Committee said action was required as the National Green Tribunal earlier directed the seizure of all equipment/machineries used for rat hole mining.
On the issue of the construction of a weighbridge behind the Don Bosco College, the interim report said further construction has been stopped and a probe into the case is ongoing. The DC has been advised to submit the report of probe within a week.