Mass exodus of migrant coal workers to their homes
A Correspondent
Margherita: The Margherita Co-district administration has launched a crackdown on illegal rat hole mines in Margherita, following orders to seal all illegal rat hole mines at Margherita, Lekhapani, and Ledo within seven days. The crackdown started on Tuesday and will continue until January 25.
The Margherita Co-district administration, along with Margherita police and officials from NEC CIL Margherita, has intensified operations against all illegal coal mining in the leasehold areas at Tipong, Lekhapani Ledo, Tirap, Tikak, and Namdang colliery under Margherita Co-District.
Meanwhile, thousands of migrant coal workers have fled from Ledo, Lekhapani, and Margherita illegal coal mines since Monday by trains from Margherita and Ledo railway stations. More than 5,000 migrant coal miners from Goalpara, Dhubri, Nagaon, Barpeta, Morigaon, and Hailakandi in the state, as well as the neighbouring state of Meghalaya, have started to move towards their respective hometowns.
Tinsukia district administration has divided officials into four groups, which will aim to seal all illegal coal mines in the Margherita region. This move has reportedly put coal mafias in a state of panic.
Notably, illegal rat hole mining is still ongoing in Namdang colliery, despite a recent raid by the Margherita Co-district administration.
Pronamika Konwar, executive magistrate of Margherita Co-District administration, said that with the cooperation from Margherita police and officials of NEC CIL Margherita, they have sealed rat hole mines and destroyed the camps at all illegal coal mines under Margherita Co-District, where the raid is still going on, as per the direction of Tinsukia District Commissioner.
L. Ratan Singh, General Secretary of the International Human Rights Council, Tinsukia District Committee, has revealed that the recent mass exodus of thousands of labourers involved in illegal coal trading from the Margherita and Ledo regions has exposed the truth of the ongoing illegal coal transport and trade, a fact that the Council has been claiming for a long time.
Migrant coal miners are standing in long queues for tickets at railway stations to go back to their native places, according to sources.
The Assam Geology and Mining Department, on March 12, 2019, through letter number 7938-41, submitted a list of 19 individuals allegedly involved in illegal coal trading to the Tinsukia Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police, said L. Ratan Singh.
The Council questions why this investigation has been suppressed, whose interests it is serving, and why the administration has not taken any action against even a single individual involved in the illegal coal trade to date. It was only after the recent visit of GP Singh, Director General of Police, to Tinsukia in the past three days and his directives in this regard that the Margherita administration acted to stop illegal coal mining at a few locations, said the Council general secretary.
Also Read: Assam: Migrant Workers Abandon Margherita Amidst Escalating Crackdown on Illegal Coal Mining
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