By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, June 7: Opposition Leader Mukul Sangma has reiterated his demand for an inquiry by a central agency to uncover illegalities related to coal mining and its transportation to various states. He also criticised the police for their apparent failure to find any evidence of illegal coal mining, despite multiple FIRs filed by concerned citizens.
Sangma questioned the credibility of the state government’s revised coal inventory from 2018–19, which he claimed falsely indicated a substantial quantity of extracted coal. “How can 2-3 lakh metric tonnes of coal suddenly become 32 lakh metric tonnes? And yet the government continues to remain in denial,” he remarked.
Highlighting that citizens had filed several FIRs over illegal coal mining and transportation, Sangma noted that in every case, the police failed to file charge-sheets and claimed there was no evidence of illegal activity.
“When illegal mining is so rampant, how is it possible that the police have never managed to find any evidence?” he asked.
Emphasising the need for a politically independent inquiry by a central agency, Sangma argued that the scale of illegality has crossed the boundaries of Meghalaya and therefore, should not be investigated by the state government.
