Meghalaya orders probe into ‘missing’ 4,000 MT illegally mined coal

Shillong, Aug 2: The Meghalaya government has ordered an investigation into the alleged misappropriation of over 4,000 metric tonnes (MT) of coal in the state, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said on Saturday.

Tynsong, who also holds the Home portfolio, said that instructions have been issued to the district authorities and the police to conduct a thorough inquiry into the matter.

"We have asked deputy commissioners and superintendents of police to investigate if there has been any misappropriation or illegal diversion of coal," the deputy Chief Minister said.

The directive comes close on the heels of a revelation by a High Court-appointed, BP Katakey committee that over 4,000 metric tonnes of coal, already declared as extracted and inventoried, have vanished from two designated storage sites.

The committee, in its latest report to the Meghalaya High Court, said the disappearance raises serious questions about the state's mechanism for monitoring coal stock and preventing illegal transportation.

Tynsong said the government will take action if any wrongdoing is established.

"If there is anything wrong, we will proceed according to the law. Even if it requires us to approach the Supreme Court, we will do so," he added.

The state's probe will focus on tracing both diesel and coal inventories, including movement, documentation, and field verification.

A comprehensive report will be prepared and shared with the court in due course, an official said.

Earlier, Union Coal Minister Gangapuram Kishan Reddy, responding to a query raised by Shillong MP Ricky Syngkon in the Lok Sabha, stated that the Centre would seek clarification from the Meghalaya government on the matter.

The issue had previously triggered a stir on social media after Meghalaya Cabinet Minister Kyrmen Shylla suggested that 4,000 metric tonnes of “missing coal” may have been washed away to Bangladesh due to rain.

With inputs from PTI