By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 11: The district authorities of Ri-Bhoi and West Khasi Hills have assured the Justice (retired) BP Katakey committee that a report into the disappearance of 4,000 metric tonnes of illegal coal would be submitted within 30 days.
“I have asked them to conduct an inquiry, and it has been assured that a report would be submitted within a month from now,” Justice Katakey said after holding a meeting here on Monday.
Earlier, the High Court of Meghalaya directed the state government to take urgent steps and hold persons or officials accountable after nearly 4,000 MT of illegally mined coal vanished from two coal depots.
The Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA) had recorded 1,839.03 MT of coal at a depot in Diengngan village in the 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, were found at the Rajaju village depot in the West Khasi Hills district against 2,121.62 MT of coal recorded by the MBDA earlier.
Meanwhile, the committee in its meeting on Monday discussed the applications of the petitioners who claim that their coal was not included in the report of M/S Garuda, even though they were part of the affidavit filed by the state government in the Supreme Court.
The meeting also discussed 1.92 lakh MT of illegally mined coal found by M/S Garuda and the MBDA, as well as the action taken thereon.
The committee was miffed with the slow progress in the physical verification of illegal coal dumps in the East Jaintia Hills district.
“I find the progress in East Jaintia Hills very slow and unsatisfying, while the quantity in other districts is very small,” Justice Katakey said, adding that the authorities have visited the dumps, but the quantity is yet to be ascertained.
The committee will submit its recommendations in a report to the High Court of Meghalaya.