Meghalaya HC orders probe into disappearance of 4,000 MT illegal coal from depots
It directed the state to take urgent action to trace those responsible and ensure officials under whose watch the lapse occurred are held to account.
A file image of Meghalaya High Court
Shillong, July 25: The Meghalaya High Court has pulled up the state government and its agencies after nearly 4,000 metric tonnes (MT) of illegally mined coal went missing from two depots in Rajaju and Diengngan villages, despite having been previously recorded in official surveys.
During a hearing on Thursday, a bench led by Justice HS Thangkhiew demanded accountability and directed authorities to identify the individuals or officials responsible for the disappearance of the coal, which had already been detected and marked for action.
The development stems from the 31st interim report submitted by the Justice (Retd) BP Katakey Committee, which is overseeing coal mining and transportation matters in the state.
According to the report, ground verification found only 2.5 MT of coal at Diengngan, compared to the 1,839.03 MT previously recorded by the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA). Similarly, just 8 MT remained at Rajaju, where 2,121.62 MT had earlier been documented.
The court expressed serious concern over how the illegally mined coal, already flagged, was removed by “unidentified persons,” pointing to glaring lapses in enforcement and monitoring.
It directed the state to take urgent action to trace those responsible and ensure officials under whose watch the lapse occurred are held to account.
Apart from the vanishing coal, the report also highlighted several unresolved issues around the disposal of re-assessed and re-verified inventoried coal stockpiled at Coal India Limited (CIL) depots.
Following the court's order dated June 2, meetings were held with various stakeholders, including CIL, to formulate a more reliable and expeditious method of auctioning the remaining inventoried coal.
CIL submitted four proposals, three of which are already part of the Revised Comprehensive Plan, 2022, even as the committee has recommended the inclusion of two new clauses mandating that full payment must be made within 120 days, and that coal be lifted within 120 days of full payment.
Failure to comply would result in bid cancellation, forfeiture of the Earnest Money Deposit (EMD), and re-auctioning of the coal.
PTI