Illegal transportation of coal
SHILLONG: Following media reports relating to alleged illegal transportation of coal through various means, Home Minister Roshan Warjri has directed the DGP to order an inquiry to find out if any policeman was involved in it.
The Home Minister convened an emergency meeting on Wednesday with the senior officials of the Home (Police) Department, the Director General of Police, the Principal Secretary, Mining & Geology Department and the Law Secretary to take stock of the situation and review the steps being taken to implement and enforce the directives passed by the National Green Tribunal relating to mining and transportation of coal.
“The district administration and the police have taken a number of measures to prevent illegal transportation of coal. These measures will be further strengthened,” Political department joint secretary VR Syiem said in a statement.
To ensure that the NGT order is enforced in letter and spirit, the joint secretary said that it was decided to make arrangements for integrated checking at the notified exit points.
“There shall be rigorous checking of trucks exiting through those integrated check/exit points. The Mining and Geology Department will pursue this with the Deputy Commissioners and other Departments concerned. Police are taking steps to off load the coal from the seized trucks and to obtain prompt orders for disposal of the seized coal from the courts concerned. The Transport Department will take steps to install weighbridges on the notified exit points, in accordance with the directives of the Tribunal. Until then, measures shall be taken to ensure that movement of coal from those exit points does not take place,” the joint secretary said.
The NGT recently lifted the embargo on transportation of extracted coal, which has been verified and assessed by the Committee constituted by the Tribunal, subject to certain conditions.
