Vehicle laden with illegal coal intercepted in Digboi Dhekiajan area

Our Correspondent

DIGBOI: The activists of several student and socio-cultural organizations in Digboi Dhekiajan area intercepted a trolley (truck) loaded with illegally procured coal consignment on Saturday morning under Digboi Police Station in Tinsukia district and subsequently handed the truck over to the police for verifying the exact status of the alleged illegal consignment.

According to sources, the consignment without any valid documents was being transported from Namphai Reserve Forest under Digboi Forest Division (an extensive illegal rat-hole mining sites in Tinsukia district ) to its undisclosed destination when the vehicle bearing registration number RJ 14 GC 7439 was intercepted by the student body.

Meanwhile, acting swiftly the police started investigating into the matter before asserting the status of the public property in question. However, while the police suspect the case might be of tax evasion alone, the statements of the vehicle staff contradict. The vehicle staff had earlier admitted to the local media of having no documents against the trade while the police claimed on Sunday afternoon of receiving some of the documents from the party concerned.

“I have called upon the attention of the tax department to verify the status of the consignment in question, rest being satisfactory,” said Inspector Mahesh Bora of Digboi Police Station.

“Generating and procuring of documents, including challan, on back date and online GST payment against the property only after the incident of arrest or apprehension is nothing new in the flourishing trade,” said a Gorkha activist of Pengaree who along with others had held the vehicle.

Moreover, instead of plying on the Jagun -Margherita normal route, the loaded vehicle was held in Pengaree -Digboi road in the thick Upper-Dehing (West Block) reserve forest under Digboi police station.

The reluctance of the competent authority in prosecuting such cases under section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property (PDPP ) Act, 1984 in spite of ample scope in the case, leads to increase in such illegal activities.

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