Meghalaya: How NGT was fooled into allowing coal transport (Analysis)
By Our Special Correspondent | TURA | Feb 02:
After years of being subjected to mass deforestation and killing of fish species in various rivers of Meghalaya due to illegal coal mining, the hills, valleys and rivers could breathe again; though not quite like before. Thanks to the intervention of the National Green Tribunal!
A vanguard for environmentalists in the country, the principal bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had to step in to put a stop to all the illegal activities in Meghalaya over a complaint by a student's body from Dima Hasao in Assam.
The NGT has, through its various committees, tried its utmost to halt rat hole mining, which has accounted for uncountable deaths in the state, all for a little more coal.
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How the NGT was fooled
However, the Court, despite its best efforts, was recently taken for a long ride by a group of really smart coal businessmen, who even made up a village, which cannot be found on any map in the country or even the world.
The tale goes as such: In the year 2018, a group of businessmen approached the NGT stating that un-assessed amount of coal to the tune of over 6.44 lakh MTs was lying in the village of Semingkri in South Garo Hills. The petitioners sought the NGT's intervention into allowing the transport of the un-assessed coal after the same was verified by the state's agencies.
Nothing wrong so far with the process – except for the fact that there exists no village by the name of Semingkri in the entire district of South Garo Hills (SGH) where the coal was supposed to be. There is, however, a Seningkri, which happens to border SGH and West Khasi Hills (WKH) but falls under WKH.
To verify the non existence of Semingkri, various locals from SGH were called including highly placed government employees, all of who confirmed that they never heard of the village and even a google search revealed no one to be associated with any village by the name of Semingkri. A search with any other village, no matter how weird sounding or remote, still had no results.
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"We have searched everywhere but could not find a Semingkri in SGH. We even searched places where some of the people who benefitted from the scam said it was but there was nothing. This is highly unusual. If there was so much coal in those places, we would surely have known," said social activist, Greneth Sangma of Mindikgre, SGH.
More interesting was the fact that the entire stock, all 6.44 lakh of it was supposed to be held by just a couple of coal businessmen, but none of them were from SGH or had even visited the place. Using the names of locals, they had apparently taken power of attorney to take hold of the challans that would be given for the coal transport.
Now challans (p-forms) are costly. They really are! While a challan costs about Rs 10,400 in government rates, the same then sells for close to Rs 70,000 in the open market as everyone needs them to transport coal.
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A rough calculation would reveal that the total number of challans that the businessmen got was close to 72000. This roughly translates into Rs Rs 74 crores that was paid to the government for it. However when one takes the profit made by these businessmen, taking Rs 50000 as the base price for the challans, the amount comes to a whooping Rs 283 crores!
The benefactors were allegedly some crooked politicians in the current disposition and some businessmen from Shillong.
The calculations or the rabbit hole don't end there.
Interestingly when news of the challans for SGH being issued was made known (despite the secrecy involved) to a few local businessmen, they rushed to Baghmara from where the challans were being issued. A heated exchange took place between a group of local coal barons and the people who held the challans, over the matter. The incident almost led to blows between the two parties.
Ultimately an agreement was reached and 1.5 lakh tonnes of coal was transferred to the local coal barons on the condition that they would not object to the matter further. The names of many prominent coal barons from SGH have surfaced in the perpetrated scam, though for now their names are not being revealed.
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The rest, close to 5 lakh tonnes was taken up by the businessmen from Shillong. Most of the challans bore the name of a coal agency, specifically created for the purpose.
These challans were then used to transport coal in all districts of Meghalaya, with the rates of challans being different in different places.
Now questions that have risen from this unholy deal are — how could a state itself lie to the Court over the presence of coal in a non-existent place? Further who assessed the coal that was there in Semingkre and where did they find the village? Where was assessment done for the coal and how did the then deputy commissioner even allow such lies to be made into the truth?
"There is no other option than for the NGT to order an independent inquiry into the matter. Lying in Court is absolutely against the law and these crooks have even created a village to promote their illegal motives. All those involved, including the MLA and ministers need to be behind bars on this matter," said social activist, Agnes Kharshiing on the matter. The CSWO president was also a part of the fact finding team in the case.
Most believe that the above case may just be the tip of the iceberg and many more such ghost dumps of coal could have been provided by the state.
