SHILLONG, FEB 10: The opposition All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) state president Charles Pyngrope on Friday slammed the state government and its police department for their failure to stop the ongoing illegal mining and transportation of coal in the state.
This came three days after the Meghalaya High Court had ordered deployment of central paramilitary forces to stop such illegal activities.
Pyngrope told reporters that the court’s order is a clear reminder to the state government that they are not doing their job irrespective of the fact that the High Court has asked them to do so.
“It is not only a contempt of court but it is also a total disregard of the law and order in the state where you have the central paramilitary forces coming here into the state to enforce a rule or decision taken by the high court,” he said.
Whether this reflect badly on the state police, the sitting legislator of Nongthymmai said, “Saying that it reflect badly is putting it very mildly I mean if there was any shame left in the Meghalaya police, they should be hanging their heads in shame because the job that they were supposed to execute as guardians of the law has now been overtaken by a paramilitary force which doesn’t belong to the state. Total shame, yes it is.”
He also added, “It is not a question of dare to act as once you put on the uniform it is your bounded duty to serve and protect and uphold the Constitution. The Constitution is very clear you can’t steal and you cannot go against the rules and the laws that are prevailing in the state. Illegal transportation of coal has been declared illegal by the High Court, illegal, how you can allow it. Therefore, you have the central forces coming in.”
In its order passed on February 7, the Division Bench had said, “In the current scenario and considering that the State has been afforded nearly a year to take appropriate measures and the measures adopted by the State have fallen woefully short, it is necessary to call in the Central Armed Police Forces to monitor and stop the illegal activities pertaining to coal mining that continues in the State.”
“ Dr. Mozika, learned Deputy-Solicitor General of India, who is present in Court, is requested to take notice on behalf of the Union and to inform this Court, when the matter appears a week hence as to the formalities for the immediate deployment of sufficient units of either the Central Industrial Security Force or the Central Reserve Police Force to completely take over the policing of illegal coal mining activities including the transportation thereof from the State machinery; obviously, at a cost that the State will have to bear for its abject inefficiency,” it had said.
The Court had said that the large-scale unscientific mining of coal in the State may lead to disastrous consequences. It appears that coal and limestone are found in abundance in this State. Both minerals have been exploited in an unscientific manner.
Meanwhile, the Court had also directed the Superintendent of Police, East Jaintia Hills to show cause why punishment for contempt, including detention in jail, should not be suffered by him for the flagrant violation of orders of this Court to check the illegal menace of unscientific coal mining rampant all over the East Jaintia Hills and the illegal transportation thereof.
By Our Reporter
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