45,000 tons of illegally mined coal seized in Meghalaya

Shillong: A total of 45,000 tons of illegal coal was seized in the eastern Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya after the state government was criticized by the High Court for failing to curb illegal mining, officials said on Friday.

He said the visits were made during the last three weeks.
“More than 50,000 tons of coal have been seized in the last three weeks. Of these, 45,000 tons were found to be illegal, while legal documents were available for 5,000 tons of coal,” a senior official of the Directorate of Mineral Resources told PTI. Told i

He said a report was being prepared and would be submitted to the district court for auction.

The district administration’s action came after the High Court criticized the state government for large-scale illegal coal mining in the district.

On March 7, a full bench of the High Court observed that such activities could not be carried out without the possible connivance of the local administration.

The court made the observation when Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee, Justice HS Thangkhiew and W Diengdoh accompanied by Chief Secretary RV Suchiang visited Khliehriat and surrounding areas.

Even when traveling on highways, it was clear that fresh coal had accumulated in the dunes on both sides of the road, which stretched for tens of kilometers. The coal seemed to be freshly mined because it was shiny black, “the court heard in its application for suo motu notice.

In a report filed on April 1, the chief secretary told the court that more than 3,500 trucks had been impounded for violating the NGT’s order banning the transportation of coal.

On this, the court had said that it appears that some action has been taken, but criticized the chief secretary for failing to take action against government officials who “looked the other way” and “actively helped.” “I mined illegal coal. Condition.