The death of ACHIK member Dilseng M Sangma should not be forgotten too quickly because it raises many troubling points that need to be publicly debated not just in the Garo Hills but in the state capital of Shillong as well. It is rather unfortunate that none of the pressure groups from the Khasi-Jaintia Hills have condemned this attack on another pressure group member who was calling out the illegal stone quarrying in Rajabala area. Now, Congress leader Deborah Marak wants a thorough investigation into the case. Marak is also keen to know who gave permission to the people who are operating the quarry. Was it the Garo Hills District Council or the State Forest Department? These issues cannot be left unresolved. Those who are following up this case in Garo Hills need to get to the root of the matter and do a series of RTIs if need be. Too often the hue and cry over fatal attacks die down quietly before justice is served.
In a state where the economy has relied heavily on natural resources such as coal, limestone, boulders, charcoal, timber etc., and where their extraction is not guided by any environmental norms there are two types of forces that emerge. One group believes that since they have relied on coal mining for their livelihoods for generations no one, not even the law can stop them from carrying on with their trade. Another believes in conservation. The former see the forces that plead for the environment as their enemies. Those legislators representing constituencies from East Jaintia Hills, West Khasi Hills and Garo Hills where coal continues to be extracted cannot take a stand against illegality since those involved in mining activities are their voters. That being the case, the administration which includes the Police also gets their cues from the MLAs/ministers and have learnt to ignore the repeated violations of the NGT order banning rat hole mining of coal. Since coal mining continues, its transportation to different parts of the country via Assam and also to different cement plants in Jaintia Hills, also happens on a daily basis. Large sized trucks by the dozens that are overloaded with coal, ply freely without license plates and anyone pointing to this serious violation of Transport rules are threatened and intimidated. The crime rate in East Jaintia Hills is spiralling. The Police is created to prevent crime, not to facilitate it. So why are the Traffic Police manning the Jaintia Hills roads turning a blind eye to this blatant violation of the law?
Then there are coke units that continue to function again despite the NGT ban. Why are these lawless acts not taken up in the State Assembly? Dr Mukul Sangma (TMC) has just begun to question these illegalities after Dilseng Sangma’s death. The only Opposition today in the Meghalaya Assembly are the Trinamool Congress and the Voice of People Party (VPP). Of the two the VPP seems to be in line with the idea of continued rat hole coal mining despite the NGT ban. In the last MP election the VPP scored very high in Jaintia Hills possibly because of its stance on coal mining. Not a word is heard from VPP President Ardent Basaiawmoit on this illegality. The question demands and answer. A political party that preaches ethics in politics cannot be supporting a lawless regime!
