By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 12: The Independent Committee on auction of coal, assisting Justice (retired) BP Katakey, on Thursday grilled the coke factories regarding the source of the coal utilised in their plants.
According to an official, out of the 19 enterprises that were asked to provide information regarding the source of the coal they use, the Committee discovered that at least 5–6 companies are acquiring their coal in accordance with their needs.
Additionally, as these businesses must pay GST when acquiring coal from their suppliers, it was verified that the information on the coal purchases made by these coke units matched the data on the GST portal.
While some of the units have been asked to provide supporting documentation, others have requested more time to respond to the Commission’s inquiry.
In the meantime, Coal India Limited has been told to auction the coal stored in approved depots in East Jaintia Hills, West Jaintia Hills, South Garo Hills, and South West Khasi Hills.
The Independent Committee is also prepared to auction the balanced inventoried coal to the tune of 5.99 lakh metric tonnes.
Concurrently, the Committee deliberated over the implementation of smart checkpoints to prevent the illicit movement of coal and other minerals.
Since obtaining land in Meghalaya is an arduous task, the respective deputy commissioners have been instructed to acquire land for hi-tech check gates in various locations.
About 8-9 of the state’s 18-19 smart check gates have already been built in locations, including Umling, Dainadubi, and Ratacherra.
