Illegal Trade In Black Diamond Continues Unabated

Silchar: Apparently, perhaps to have a sort of control over the illegal trade, during day time Assam police is posted at Malidahar toll gate and at night CISF takes charge. But, their presence is obscured by the flexing muscle of the syndicate. As the illegal trade in black diamond is ever widening, coal depots have mushroomed all along the National Highway 6. This has come to greatly disturb the normal life of peaceful citizens of Gumrah, Kalain, Katigorah, Badarpur and Karimganj. Upset and perturbed at this phenomenon, a public meeting was called by an NGO at Katigorah on February 11 to protest against the menace of this illegal trade.

The attention of Laya Madduri, Deputy Commissioner of Cachar, was drawn to it. Being a new incumbent to the post, she was yet to understand all about the intricacies of the business. She refused to make any observation unless she had a thorough understanding of the trade. On the very day of the public meeting, a coal laden truck was detained by the agitated youths. The driver said he got a token from police to cross over from Meghalaya arranged by the syndicate. According to a rough count, between Gumrah and Kalain, 35 coal depots barricaded by tarpaulins or tins could be located. At some, trucks were seen unloading the coal nonchalantly.

Local residents, Jashim Uddin and Ashiq Barbhuiya like many others have only one question, how can such an unauthorized business continue to flourish? Being agriculturalists by profession, they foresaw a situation when during the coming rainy season, toxic water from the open coal depots would roll down to the agriculture fields, damaging the crops or products to their great loss. But, there is none to listen to their problem. Ajit Dutta, school teacher, said, in fact, the first gate to clear the passage for the trucks is at Malidahar and the second at Digarkhal to ensure no vehicle slips away. He also named a GP president and some ward members of the area who are involved in the trade.

One willing to become a member of the syndicate will have financial backup as well as the guts and strains to take the challenges in one’s stride. Locate a kiln or tea garden and have business understanding with them. This will put everything in place. Boren Hanse of Malidahar knows all about the tricks and nuances of this ever growing empire. But, he prefers to watch from a safe distance. Katigorah MLA Amar Chand Jain when asked about this illegal trade simply said, “I am pestered with lot of questions from the public. I have talked about the matter with the Deputy Commissioner and the Superintendent of Police in order to rein in the business. I also talked to the Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, requesting him for CBI inquiry to expose all about the illegal trade.”

Interestingly, Chandra Mohan Patowary, Minister of Transport, Parliamentary Affairs, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Industry and Commerce, to the opposition allegations in respect of the trade illegally growing denied having any knowledge of it. But, the business grows unchecked. The simple formula for it ‘give money to the syndicate, no need of DMR or TPS or GST or sales tax’. But, to say everything is unauthorized will be a travesty of fact. Some trucks carry coal with all papers and quite authorized. The syndicate, according to the ground reality, comprises members of all political hues and police. The syndicate operates in a two tier manner. One operates from Malidahar to Katigorah and the second controls the business from Badarpur Ghat to the international border with Bangladesh. Though the illegal trade is growing, the worst affected is the state exchequer. A conservative estimate puts the loss to the tune of Rs.240 crore during the last 8 months only.

Also Read: CACHAR NEWS