From Our Correspondent
TURA, March 7: In view of the rise of illegal establishment and operation of brick kilns within the district and to stop the illegal activity, the District Magistrate of West Garo Hills has notified the establishment of block-level task force to combat illegal establishment of brick kilns.
The composition of the district level task force comprises the Block Development Officer as the chairman, besides representative from the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board, Joint Director of Directorate of Mineral Resources as a member, District Transport Officer, Deputy Labour Commissioner, Officer in-Charge of Police Station or Beat House or Out Post and Forest Ranger, all as members.
The duties of the task force are to identify areas within blocks where illegal brick kilns are operating or are being established and to monitor these areas regularly to detect any new unauthorised activities.
Besides these, it has been entrusted with the job of conducting thorough investigation into the legality of brick kilns operating within the block and taking enforcement action against those found operating illegally, including issuing warning, imposing fines, or initiating legal proceedings for closure.
As per the order, the task force should maintain detailed records of all identified brick kilns operating within the block, including their legal status, compliance with regulations, and any enforcement actions taken and also to prepare regular reports on their status and actions taken by task force and submit to the District Magistrate every 15 days.