Shillong: Opposition leader Mukul M. Sangma challenged the Meghalaya government on Wednesday to end the ongoing drama of investigations into illegal coal mining. He claims large-scale smuggling survives only through high-level patronage. The government must explain why coal routinely appears and vanishes from storage depots.
Coal does not move itself. Sangma argues that illegal mining and transportation violate the Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation Act of 1957. Specifically, Section 21 mandates criminal action against such offenses. He demands officials explain if they are turning a blind eye to these crimes or actively facilitating them.
The central point of contention involves the state coal inventory. When Sangma left office in 2018, records showed roughly two lakh metric tonnes of coal remaining from stocks cleared by the National Green Tribunal. Yet, after the MDA government took power, that figure ballooned to 32 lakh metric tonnes.
Sangma wants to know where those 30 lakh extra tonnes came from. He suspects the inventory was cooked to legalize illegal mining. He insists that investigators must trace the origin of these figures and identify who approved them. The investigation needs to look at more than just paperwork. It must examine circumstantial evidence to expose the people behind the racket.
He says, “large-scale illegalities could not continue without patronage and demanding a thorough probe into discrepancies in the state’s coal inventory.”
The former Chief Minister warns that this activity hurts the state. He demands accountability for everyone involved in the supply chain. Authorities must finally decide if they are unable to find evidence or if they are protecting the criminals.
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