HC demands action from state government against violators
SHILLONG, July 25: In a scathing observation, the High Court of Meghalaya on Thursday directed the state government to take urgent steps and hold persons or officials accountable after nearly 4,000 metric tonnes (MT) of illegally mined coal vanished from two coal depots.
The matter came to light when the Justice (Retd) BP Katakey committee submitted its 31st interim report in the court on Thursday. The court had appointed Katakey a few years ago for recommending measures to be taken by the state government on matters relating to coal.
The High Court bench asked authorities to identify the individuals or officials responsible for allowing the disappearance of coal that had already been detected and flagged for action.
Earlier, the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA) had recorded 1,839.03 MT of coal at a depot in Diengngan village in Ri-Bhoi district. However, during a recent inspection, only 2.5 MT of coal was found along with residue and traces of coal.
Similarly, only about 8 MT of coal along with residue and traces of coal was found at the Rajaju village depot in West Khasi Hills district as against 2,121.62 MT of coal recorded by the MBDA earlier.
A two-judge division bench of Justices Hamarsan Singh Thangkhiew and Wanlura Diengdoh in an order said the matter was of concern stating that despite detection, the illegally mined coal had been lifted and transported by unknown persons.
The government filed a status report, citing the steps taken with regard to illegally mined coal in South Garo Hills district and also the disappearance of the coal from Rajaju and Diengngan depots but apart from indicating that FIRs had been lodged, no other information was given, the court said.
Apart from the vanishing coal, the 31st interim report also highlighted several unresolved issues around the disposal of re-assessed and re-verified inventoried coal stockpiled at Coal India Limited (CIL) depots.
Following the court’s order dated June 2, meetings were held with various stakeholders, including CIL, to formulate a more reliable and expeditious method of auctioning the remaining inventoried coal.
CIL submitted four proposals, three of which are already part of the Revised Comprehensive Plan, 2022, even as the committee has recommended the inclusion of two new clauses mandating that full payment must be made within 120 days, and that coal be lifted within 120 days of full payment.
Failure to comply would result in bid cancellation, forfeiture of the Earnest Money Deposit (EMD), and re-auctioning of the coal, the report added.
The report also addressed the issue of mismatch between truck numbers and transport challans, stating the discrepancy arose from mechanical breakdowns and reloading of coal onto alternate vehicles, and not from fraudulent documentation.
Overloading concerns are reportedly being addressed by enforcement teams.
On the reported death of a coal miner in Musiang village, a police report has found the claim to be false.
Regarding ongoing efforts to regulate and monitor coal-based industries, the report noted that the source audit of coke oven plants is still in progress.
Taking into account the multiple pending issues related to coal auction, illegal mining, missing coal stocks, and mine closures, the court has scheduled the matter for further hearing on August 25, and directed that copies of the 31st interim report be made available to all relevant parties for compliance and further action.
(With PTI inputs)