SHILLONG, Jan 29: A day after the High Court of Meghalaya-appointed committee, headed by Justice (retired) BP Katakey, confirmed that coal was being illegally mined and transported in the South Garo Hills district, the Voice of the People Party (VPP) on Wednesday said the confirmation from Justice Katakey validates the party’s assertion of the MDA being the “government of lawlessness” where illegal activities are not only taking place but even given state protection.
Stating that knowing or acknowledging the problem is half the problem solved, VPP spokesperson Batskhem Myrboh lamented that the NPP-led MDA Government has been consistently denying that the problem even existed.
“We already witnessed that activists were brutally beaten up by those involved in illegal coal mining and coal trade, labourers perished inside coal mines exposing the lies of the government and time and again the honourable Meghalaya High Court made observations and directions on the issue,” he reminded.
He said that under the MDA Government there are reports of mafia exploiting the simple villagers as well as the government on land acquisition.
“There are innumerable reports of illegal collections along the highway pushing inflation of essential commodities. This government deserve to be thrown out by the people in the next election,” he added.
On Tuesday, Justice Katakey said he recently received seven complaints about illegal mining, which are currently under investigation. Notices have been issued in connection with some of these complaints, and the department concerned has been directed to record statements from the parties involved. Complaints regarding illegal mining have been reported in South Garo Hills, West Khasi Hills, and East Jaintia Hills.
“Coal is coming from somewhere, and mining is evidently taking place. This conclusion is based on available information, which I will include in my report to the High Court of Meghalaya,” Justice Katakey stated after reviewing the situation at a meeting.
The meeting addressed the implementation of Supreme Court directives to curb illegal mining in the state. Deputy Commissioners (DCs) of all districts were instructed to report the quantity of coal seized between November last year and January this year. While most DCs denied any mining activities in their districts, South Garo Hills reported the seizure of over 2,500 metric tons (MT) of illegal coal during the period.
