The incident in Garo Hills that claimed the life of a person belonging to an NGO which has been protesting against illegal stone and sand quarrying in the plain belts of West Garo Hills does not portend well for the state. It shows that all these illegalities are operating with the explicit knowledge of the government. While there is an established government elected by the people, several illegal set-ups continue to operate or are allowed to operate under the watch of the government. In such situations the police are told to look the other way. In any case it is not the brief of the police to deal with illegal quarrying. The Garo Hills District Council and the State Forest Department must be in the know about all this but they have allowed the crime to continue. The question that repeatedly arises is why lawlessness is allowed to prevail and how the rule of law can be so outrightly undermined. Where is the safety of the few environment protection groups that call out against the devastation caused by rampant quarrying/mining?
Also what is the brief of the top heavy State Forest Department other than giving permission to cut trees right left and centre or to turn a blind eye when vicious groups decide to operate quarries and mines without even seeking permission? These include illegally operated coal mines which have defied the NGT ban on coal mining since 2014. East Jaintia Hills is another example of how the NGT ban is violated with impunity. Coal is mined as it used to be in the past. Trucks carry this coal to its destination and all that the police do along the way is to let these trucks pass when money changes hands. It’s as if there is no government presence in these coal belts and a ‘go as you please’ policy persists. Those who operate the coal mines are what are termed as the “high level” people with political clout. So how can they be arrested?
In a belated reaction the Forest Department has come down on the illegal quarry operators but that has come a little too late. It took a person’s life for the Forest Department to wake up from its “induced” slumber. This is a fit case to be dealt with by the CBI so that the persons behind the crime are not just arrested but their handlers brought to book and be dealt with the severest of punishments. In such cases, civil society has to rise to the occasion and not let the matter die down after a few arrests. It is common to hear that the arrested are out on bail sooner than later. And if the Forest Department and the Police have come down heavily on illegally operated coal mines and quarries in West Garo Hills why is the same vigilance not exercised in East Jaintia Hills where freshly mined coal is visible in and around the Sutnga area. Sadly while ACHIK – the NGO is bringing these illegalities to the fore in Garo Hills there is not a single NGO or pressure group to blow the whistle on illegal coal mining in Jaintia Hills whereas they take up other needless issues. Will the State Forest Department now turn its attention towards East Jaintia Hills too? Or will it wait for something drastic to happen before taking action?
