New Delhi/Shillong, April 26 Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at 15 premises in Meghalaya and Assam under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with illegal coal mining and illegal coke plants running in Meghalaya, official sources said on Saturday.
Sources said that during the searches, a cash amount of Rs 1.58 crore, digital devices like laptops, diaries/ledgers, mobile phones and two high-end vehicles suspected to be purchased out of the Proceeds of Crime were seized.
“Statements of the key persons were recorded wherein it was revealed that despite the ban on mining in the last decade, illegal rat hole mining was being rampantly done under inhuman conditions and without any safety for the illegal miners,” they said.
They added that the agency initiated the investigation based on an FIR registered in Shallang, Meghalaya under various sections of the IPC, 1860, MMDR Act, 2015, Environment (Protection) Act,1986, Explosive Substances Act, 1883 and Benami Transaction (Prohibition) Act, 1988.
Sources further added that during the search, it was found that Managers, Sardars (heads of workers) and labourers were engaged in illegal coal mining in the area of Jadigittim, South Garo Hills, using primitive tools.
The central agency sources said that it was noticed that around 20 mines are being run illegally in Era Aning and Goreng areas of South Garo Hills district.
“A few of the labourers were handed over to the local police to investigate the matter on suspicion of their identities/nationality. A syndicate having persons from Meghalaya and Assam is in charge of ensuring that the trucks containing illegal coal clear the borders of Meghalaya and enter into Assam without any checking/restrictions, where papers were prepared to show this as legally mined coal,” they said.
The sources said that the syndicate used to charge Rs 1.27 Lakh to Rs 1.5 Lakh per truck from the mine owners in the name of commission/patronage in cash, adding that the illegally mined coal was stored at depots located at Jogighopa, Assam.
“It was then transported to different industries like the cement industry, brick kiln, iron and steel industry and illegal coke plants. Some part of the illegally mined coal was directly transported to the illegal coke plant from the depot in the northeastern region,” they said.
Source also revealed that the persons who operate the depot at Jogighopa, Assam, are also involved in this business of fake bills/invoices through which the illegally mined coal is shown to be purchased from some legally operated mines in Assam, making it look a genuine business transaction.
“Most of the transactions take place in cash through these operators, and fake bills/invoices for the same are generated to give them the colour of genuine transactions. The cash generated in the process was collected by the syndicate and was being stored at the places of the cash handlers. These cash handlers were searched, and diaries containing cash in/out were also seized,” they said.
It was also revealed that the coal mine owners and the syndicate people used to coordinate with illegal coal mine operators in Margarita in Assam’s Tinsukia to make it appear to be mined from legally sourced mines.
Sources said that from the documents seized and the statement of the Managers, Mine owners and labourers, it was revealed that five to seven trucks were loaded every day from each mine, adding that each truck used to carry 12-16 tonnes of illegally mined coal.
“The moderate estimate of the illegal coal mined per day from the Era Aning and Goreng area of South Garo Hills is around 1200 tonnes per day (approx). The Mine owners used to get Rs 5000 to Rs 10,000 per truck as their net profit after taking care of all the expenses,” they said.
Sources added that further investigation is in progress.
After a decade of the ban on coal mining in Meghalaya, the scientific mining coal block in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills District was inaugurated on March 17 by state Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma.
A senior government official said that the Ministry of Coal has given permission for scientific coal mining in Meghalaya.
In April 2014, illegal coal mining, including the more dangerous practice of rat-hole mining, was banned in Meghalaya by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) after terming it as 'unscientific' and 'most hazardous'.
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