By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 15: The BJP’s state unit has granted an extension of two weeks to party’s fact-finding committee on illegal coal mining to submit its report.
Once the report is submitted, the BJP’s state-level committee will work on the findings and decide accordingly.
“We have had a meeting and we will be coming up with the report. We have taken two more weeks’ extension. We are conducting field visits and collating reports,” state BJP vice president Bernard Marak, who heads the committee, said.
Asked about the narrative involving the state BJP that “it’s all smoke and no fire”, he said, “Our duty is to find out whether the claims and allegations about illegal coal mining are true or not. We will submit facts.”
On whether action will be taken if illegalities are proven, Marak said, “We will submit our report to the president and thereafter, it will depend on the state committee how to move ahead. We will take up the matter only after the report is submitted.”
To another query, he said, “We are not doing this to initiate action but bring out the facts.”
Initially, the fact-finding committee was given 40 days to gather evidence. The investigation involves on-the-ground inspections and consultations with civil society groups whose inputs are also being incorporated.
The report will be submitted to the BJP’s state head office and subsequently, forwarded to central leadership.
