Crackdown on illegal coal mining in Margherita: High-level team inspects sites

Acting on a complaint by Tinsukia resident regarding rampant illegal coal mining in the colliery areas under 83 No. Margherita constituency, a high-level delegation visited the Tikak and Tirap collieries under NEC CIL Margherita on Friday to assess the situation.

The inspection team comprised complainant Mintu Modi, K. Mere (General Manager, NEC Coal India Ltd, Margherita), T.C. Ranjith Ram (Divisional Forest Officer, Digboi Forest Division), Parikshit Thoudam (Margherita Co-District Commissioner), Dr. Hemen Hazarika, Thoudan James Singh (Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change), Khagen Saikia and Anupam Phukan (Mining and Geology Department, Government of Assam), representatives from the Assam Pollution Control Board, Margherita Police, and the Assam Forest Protection Force.

The visit follows a directive by Assam DGP G.P. Singh, ordering the immediate sealing of all illegal rat-hole mines and related activities in the Margherita region within a week. The Margherita administration, along with other concerned departments, has taken stringent measures to curb illegal coal mining.

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L. Ratan Singh, General Secretary of the International Human Rights Council, Tinsukia District Committee, welcomed the High Court’s directive and stated that investigations into illegal mining activities across Margherita have commenced. 

Despite the crackdown, reports indicate that illegal mining continues unabated in Tipong, Tirap, Tikak, Namdang, Bargolai, Lekhapani, and Ledo. Shockingly, out of 125 coke coal Bhattas (kilns) in the region, only 55 have valid documents. The Human Rights Council has urged authorities to take strict legal action against unlicensed proprietors.

The committee has vowed to monitor the situation closely and seek the High Court’s intervention if illegal mining persists. The investigation team has confirmed large-scale coal mining violations in Margherita, and further action is expected against those involved in the multi-crore coal scam.