SHILLONG, June 20: The Justice (Retd) BP Katakey Committee has handed the Meghalaya government a 15-day ultimatum to stop the “faceless” nature of the illegal coal trade by demanding a statewide action plan that specifically penalises officials who allow illegal mining and transit under their watch.
The directive follows a review of action plans submitted by North, East, and South Garo Hills. The committee observed that while these districts established task forces and joint checking operations, the plans lacked a critical component: official accountability.
The committee noted that current measures fail to fix responsibility on specific officers when illegal mining or transportation occurs within their jurisdictions. To rectify this, the committee insisted that any effective strategy must make concerned officers personally accountable for violations in their areas.
The proposed statewide enforcement plan must now identify vulnerable zones, establish dedicated enforcement units led by responsible officers, and assess manpower requirements. It also mandates the installation of check-gates and police outposts in high-risk transit routes.
While the committee mentioned the need for training officials on the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, it clarified that such education is secondary to enforcement. The committee also acknowledged that while some districts are mining hubs and others are merely transit routes, “ground realities” cannot be used as an excuse to bypass a unified enforcement framework.
The state has been directed to submit monthly implementation reports from the Garo Hills districts to the Secretary of the Mining and Geology Department. The committee underscored that without a coordinated strategy and direct officer accountability, efforts to curb illegal coal activities will continue to fail.
