Arunachal: Illegal Coke manufacturing plants busted in Kharsang
Kharsang
The Anirudh Saran Singh, Secretary (Geology & Mining) and Tassar Talar the Director (Geology & Mining), with his team of officers assisted by District Administration & police has jointly busted the coke manufacturing plants in Kharsang area and dismantled entire illegal coke bhattas established in and around Kharsang area in front of ADC, SDO, SDPO, Miao.
The local people of Longtom village, Kharsang, has informed the inspection team through video recording that the raw coal are usually extracted from in and around Namchik-Namphuk Coal field area and then supplies them to coke bhattas at the rate of Rs.9000 per tipper. The inspecting team has found existence of more than 50 coke bhattas in and around Kharsang area.
These coke bhattas are principal procurer of these unlawfully raised coals. They convert them into finished product i.e coke and then supplies them to outside of the State of Arunachal Pradesh at high price resulting in the huge loss of revenue to the state exchequer.
During dismantling, the inspecting team has found Huge quantity of unlawfully raised coal and coke dumps within the premises of these units. The Secretary(G&M) viewing the gravity of the situation instructed ADC, Miao to take prompt action against persons involved in illegal mining activities and further instructed to seized and confiscated all the coal and finished products .
For last many months, the Kharsang area has been in the limelight in various social media and TV media for very wrong reasons and caught the attention of the Govt. Taking serous note of various media reports , the Secy (Geology & Mining) and the Director(Geology & Mining) took decision to stop the unlawful coal mining activities in the Kharsang area and hence raided various places in Kharsang area.
Besides that the Department too has received frequent reports on illegal mining of coal in Kharsang area for last many years and in this regards the Department has apprise the Local Administration ,from time to time, to take stringent measures like surprise checks/raids from time to time to prevent illegal mining activities, its storage and transportation of unlawfully raised coal and to lodge FIR in the police station of the concerned jurisdiction against the culprit involved in such illegal extraction and transportation of coal , but, it seems that no concrete measures like regulatory supervisions and proper vigilance/monitoring were exercised on the ground and because of that the unscrupulous people seems to fearlessly violated various provisions of law right under the nose of Local Administration, Forest Department and police.
It is seen that the level of illegal mining activities in Kharsang area is extensive and have plundered the coal bearing areas and further, this unlawful activities has adversely affected the conservations and optimal exploitation of depleting non-renewable natural resources of the state and it is seen that the Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises(MSME) were the principal end users of illegally mined coal from the Kharsang area
Further, this also shows that the racket is deep rooted with alleged involvement of Coal mafias, local inhabitants of Kharsang area, middle men, transporters and others.
