New Delhi: The Meghalaya High Court has expressed serious concern over the disappearance of nearly 4,000 metric tonnes of illegally mined coal from 2 depots located in Rajaju and Diengngan villages.
Despite official records confirming the coal’s presence, most of the stock has vanished, prompting the court to demand that state authorities identify those responsible.
According to the 31st interim report by the Justice (Retd) BP Katakey Committee monitoring coal mining and transportation in Meghalaya, ground verification revealed only a fraction of the previously recorded coal stock. At Diengngan, just 2.5 MT remained compared to the 1,839.03 MT documented by the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA). Similarly, Rajaju showed only 8 MT against an earlier figure of 2,121.62 MT.
The court highlighted that the illegal coal had been detected well in advance, yet unidentified individuals managed to remove the stock, raising questions about enforcement and oversight failures.
Justice HS Thangkhiew’s bench directed the state government to swiftly investigate and trace those responsible for the missing coal. Officials overseeing these depots must be held accountable for the lapses.
The report also flagged unresolved challenges in auctioning inventoried coal stockpiled at Coal India Limited (CIL) depots. Following a June 2 court directive, stakeholders including CIL met to streamline auction processes. CIL proposed four plans, three aligning with the Revised Comprehensive Plan, 2022.
New recommendations include mandatory full payment and lifting of coal within 120 days to avoid bid cancellation and forfeiture of earnest money deposits. The committee also suggested involving local coal-based industries and offering concessional rates to bulk buyers.
