Balwan Bhama and Krishan Kumar, who filed a PIL against
irregularities in coal export, have a history of engaging in
illegal coal export activities from Gasuapara LCS, including
the fraudulent sale of e-way bills to other exporters, says
George S Marak in complaint to GST Chief Commissioner
BAGHMARA, Feb 2: Angered over a spate of complaints being filed against the export of coal through the Gasuapara Land Customs port in South Garo Hills by what he called individuals with vested interest, George S Marak, who won the bid to export coal through the port has written to the Chief Commissioner of GST seeking action against the complaints made by two individuals, Balwan Bhama and Krishan Kumar which has seen normal export being affected.
In the letter to the Chief Commissioner on Saturday, George called the allegations made by Bhama and Kumar baseless with the intention of causing significant harm to the trade that is currently taking place through the LCS at Gasuapara.
George alleged that both Bhama and Kumar have a history of engaging in illegal coal export activities from Gasuapara LCS, including the fraudulent sale of e-way bills to other exporters.
“These illegal activities were previously investigated by the Meghalaya government, resulting in the seizure of illegally-mined coal and the subsequent imprisonment of Bhama, Kumar and his son. Based on these findings, the government has imposed a ban on them on engaging in any coal export activities in Meghalaya,” said the complaint.
He further alleged that the two persons filed a PIL in the Meghalaya High Court to harass him which is pending before a committee headed by Justice (retired) BP Katakey.
“The committee has observed that Bhama and Krishan Kumar were not interested to record their statement in support of their allegations or provide any evidence to prove the allegations. Despite the ban and prior illegal activities, Bhama and Kumar have continued to harass me by making repeated and unfounded allegations of illegal coal exports to various government departments, including this office. These allegations appear to be motivated by a desire to hinder our legitimate business operations,” added George.
Further George asserted that various local exporters have been cheated by the duo even as the district, state, High Court, NGT and the Customs department have made investigations into the allegations but have not found any irregularity in export activities through Gasuapara LCS.
“We have been informed that more than 60 cases are pending in the Court, Police Department, Income Tax Office and GST Office against them (Bhama and Kumar) and their family. Moreover they have also been beaten and imprisoned in Meghalaya and Assam. Hence, their history as a troublemaker is well known to the public, State and the Customs Department. We request you to kindly not pay any attention to them or their baseless allegations especially the ones doing the rounds on social media. If required, we request you to send a team to cross check the allegations,” stated George.
He requested that the GST office issue instructions to not hamper exports based on the baseless allegations of the duo.
“We are currently engaged in the lawful export of coal to Bangladesh. All coal procured for export is obtained through legitimate channels, specifically through state-authorised auctions. We strictly adhere to all applicable laws and regulations, including the submission of all necessary documentation and the fulfillment of all statutory requirements. We also pay royalty/fees levied by the respective state governments and take all necessary permissions from the office of the respective deputy commissioners,” stated George.
He further alleged that since January 30, no Custom official has been present in the Gasuapara LCS to oversee the export process leading to export coming to a standstill and international trade being hampered.
“This has caused losses to the country’s exchequer which is losing on much needed foreign exchange. We therefore request that this office take immediate action to thoroughly investigate the veracity of the baseless allegations made by Bhama and Kumar. We believe these allegations are entirely baseless and malicious, intended to cause undue disruption to our lawful business operations. We further request that this office refrain from giving any credence to these unfounded claims,” asserted George in his complaint.
It may be noted that the High Court-appointed committee, headed by Justice Katakey, has confirmed that coal is being illegally mined and transported in the South Garo Hills district.
“Coal is coming from somewhere, and mining is evidently taking place,” Justice Katakey had stated last week.