Voice of People Party (VPP) President Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit has raised the red flag on the unabated illegal coal trade in Meghalaya, alleging deep-rooted nexus between those in power and the coal mafia, while making a clarion call for central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI “to pull up their socks” if the rot is to be truly cleansed. Sounding the alarm over what he termed as “a serious matter” and “just the tip of the iceberg,” Basaiawmoit underscored that rampant illegal transactions and transportation of coal continue across the state in brazen violation of the law, despite repeated bans, local opposition, and even findings of national committees.
“There are many central agencies like Enforcement Directorate, CBI, so they need to pull up their socks, if you really want to clean this problem in our state,” Basaiawmoit asserted, while stressing that the illegal trade thrives because “whatever is happening in the state, be it coal rackets, be it illegal trade of coal, not have happened if there is no connivance or link between those people and the people in power. For sure we can come to a conclusion how can a common man be able to engage in these type of illegal activities without protection or without support from people in power.” He lamented the stark contrast between harsh penalties imposed on small transport operators and the free run enjoyed by coal trucks, adding, “a poor rapido driver will be caught for violating or not having Permission to run Transport system… but we see trucks and trucks are playing on the road of Meghalaya Today and nothing happens to them. So, how will you say, how will you conclude… that these coals are legal?” Citing repeated reports and even NGT observations that the State is “not at all serious” in tackling the menace, Basaiawmoit declared, “if the government of India, if the central agencies they are really concerned, really want to take up this matter seriously, they must increase their activities in order to ensure that those involved in the illegal trade of coal are brought to justice.”
