Illegal coke plants: HC wants to know about govt action against culprits

Shillong, May 9: The Meghalaya High Court on Tuesday asked the state government to indicate the persons behind the setting up of illegal coke plants and the steps taken to bring them to book.

“The matter will appear four weeks hence for the state to indicate the persons behind the illegal coke plants that had been set up and the steps taken in accordance with law to bring them to book,” the full bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee said in its order passed after hearing a PIL filed by one Shailendra Kumar Sharma.

“Justice Kakatey will, doubtless, ensure that the illegal coke plants are no longer in operation by the time the matter appears next,” it added.

K Khan, Additional Advocate-General, referred to Justice BP Katakey’s 12th interim report filed in a matter pertaining to illegal mining and transportation of coal in the state and referred to his report to indicate how coke plants operating illegally and without any permission have been shut down.

The counsel emphasised that 57 illegally operating coke plants have been shut down and steps are being taken against the rest who cannot indicate permission to operate or explain the source of obtaining coal for their operations.

Repeated orders of the court have pointed out that the present situation, where illegal coal mining has continued blatantly since 2016 despite orders of the National Green Tribunal and the Supreme Court, may have been with the tacit support of the state.

The bench observed that despite the State and its Chief Secretary being tasked with the obligation to ensure that illegal coal mines did not operate, the industry boomed till a suo motu cognizance was taken of the matter by this Court and some form of regulation or control may now be in place.

“Again, after being goaded by this Court, the State now gloats in its glorious action taken to shut down the illegal coke plants that should never have sprung up in the first place. As to the kingpins, who had obviously been nurtured and protected by the State to run such illegal industry, the State has done absolutely nothing,” it said.

When queried by the Court, Counsel insists on the steps taken to shut down the illegal plants without so much as a word as to the persons who operated them and acted in flagrant disregard of orders of the Supreme Court.

Further, the bench said, “The State has now announced with a lot of fanfare the imminent commencement of scientific coal mining. However, due to the callousness of the State and its criminal support to persons who indulged in rampant illegal coal mining, valuable revenue has been lost, several lives have been sacrificed in rat-hole mining and illegal transportation of coal has continued unabated, so much so that the Court was pushed into seeking Central assistance to stop the illegal transportation of coal within the State.”

In another matter, it has been discovered that a single entity in various avatars has exported thousands of metric tonnes of coal through the Gasuapara Land Customs Station in South Garo Hills without anyone, whether from the State or at the relevant LCS, seeking to ascertain the source of such coal.

The bench said there is even an FIR filed by the sales tax authorities in Guwahati.

Stating that these are matters of serious concern, the bench said, “Despite repeated orders of this Court, the State has cared little to check the menace, though the State was always encouraged by the Court to ensure that scientific coal mining was started so that the cottage industry of illegal mining of coal would be stopped.”

The next hearing will be held on June 8.

Also read:

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HC pulls up govt. for inaction against illegal coke plants

NGO identifies over 20 illegal coke factories in EJH