SHILLONG, Jan 30: Days after six labourers had lost their lives in a coal pit in East Jaintia Hills, opposition Congress on Saturday asked the state’s National People’s Party-led coalition government to be serious by getting the frequent allegations about illegal mining of coal and its transportation probed.
Congress leader, Ampareen Lyngdoh slammed the government for continuing to be in a denial mode on the issue.
She said the government seemed to be not keen on taking any action against those involved.
Describing the deaths of the labourers as unfortunate, she said, “It will be apt for the government to order an independent probe into the incident. If we are wrong, the government should prove it through the investigation,” Lyngdoh said.
She said if the East Jaintia Hills incident was not due to illegal mining, then what else can be viewed as illegal mining.
She said the Estimates Committee had recently asked the Public Works Department to take note that hundreds of trucks are parked near the Umiam bridge.
“Where are these trucks going? What are they carrying? It seems mafia-type activities are going on the Assam-Meghalaya border areas,” she said.
Asserting that thousands of trucks make a beeline in the city after 8 pm every day, she wondered if the state government is gaining anything out of it.
“The government has to explain it to us,” she insisted.
