Shillong: The Meghalaya High Court-appointed committee, led by Justice (retired) BP Katakey, has directed the East Jaintia Hills district administration to transport 70,000 metric tons of coal to designated depots within 15 days.
This directive comes after a review meeting with state government officials.
Other districts like West Khasi Hills, South West Khasi Hills, and South Garo Hills have nearly completed the transportation process. East Jaintia Hills, which initially had the most significant amount (130,000 tons) of coal for transport, has only managed to move 60,000 tons so far.
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Justice Katakey raised two concerns regarding the remaining coal.
He pointed out that coal owners might be reluctant to transport the coal due to a disinterest in the process.
There were also suspicions that the coal might have already been sold by the owners themselves, bypassing the official auction process.
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The committee has instructed the East Jaintia Hills deputy commissioner to verify the actual quantity of coal remaining. Concerns exist that the reported 70,000 tons might be inaccurate.
Meanwhile, South West Khasi Hills will complete transportation of its remaining 5,000 tons by tomorrow.
The High Court, in an earlier order, had allowed 45 days for transporting the coal to designated depots.
Justice Katakey also expressed disappointment regarding the slow lifting of auctioned coal by purchasers, citing a weak market.
The committee has given the government permission to extend the deadline for auction payment due to the time-consuming process and profit-sharing with Coal India Limited and auction agencies.
The committee successfully verified and reassessed around 14 lakh tons of coal, significantly less than the 32 lakh tons initially claimed by the state government
Any coal found after transporting the verified amount will be considered illegally mined and seized. The proceeds from auctioning such seized coal will go solely to the state treasury.
So far, over 5.8 lakh tons of coal have been auctioned, but full payment has only been received for 1.48 lakh tons, reports stated.