KHLIEHRIAT: Illegal coal traders in East and West Jaintia Hills emerged with new names known as ‘high level’ and ‘low level’ in which the low level group are very much against the ‘high level’ as most of the group under ‘high level’ can easily transport coal from East Jaintia Hills to Beltola, Assam.
The high level group are allegedly those who are either close to politicians or relatives of politicians where as those who are in the low level group are those who has no links with politicians and are middle class traders.
Sources also alleged that though the low level group traders have no link with any politicians but they have to pay Rupees ninety thousand to Rupees one lakh to dispatch each of the loaded coal trucks to Assam.
“If we don’t have to pay that huge amount our transportation expenditure would be not more than Rs 35, 000 per truck, which includes Rs 15000 for fuel, Rs 7000 for driver’s food and Rs. 10, 000 for loading and unloading with some extra amount of expenditure “, a source said
Sources also informed that on Tuesday evening coal laden trucks listed by the High Level were allowed to ply and those of the low level group were still stranded along the National Highway in East Jaintia Hills. Some of coal laden trucks are hiding in the parking yards and hundreds of them are along the roadside waiting for the green signal to ply.
Sources further informed that the illegal trading of coal has caused heavy traffic jam along the National Highway NH-06 till Wednesday evening and the main reasons was trucks belonging to low level group were not allowed to transport their loaded coal to the destination at Beltola in Guwahati.