Activists Allege High-Level Syndicate as Dergaon Police Return 14 Illicit Coal Trucks

Dergaon: Local residents and activists from the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) and Chatra Mukti Sangram Samiti (CMSS) intercepted 14 coal-laden trucks at Balijan under Dergaon police station.

The vehicles were allegedly carrying illegal coal from Meghalaya's unregulated rat-hole mines without proper transit documents, sparking massive public outrage over the regional transport of illicit commodities.

Protesters who blocked the highway immediately informed local authorities. However, tensions escalated when Dergaon Police allegedly refused to seize the vehicles.

Activists accused the administration of maintaining a police-trader nexus. Raijor Dal president and Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi leveled severe allegations, stating that the police arranged a high-security escort to send the trucks back toward Meghalaya like a prime minister's visit, instead of initiating proper legal actions or taking them to the station.

"I repeatedly asked the SP to take the vehicles to the police station and seize them. But I was told they would be sent back to Meghalaya," Gogoi stated at a press conference.

He also petitioned Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, alleging high-profile political protection for widespread coal syndicates. On the other hand, Basanta Saikia, Officer-in-Charge of Dergaon Police Station, countered the collusion claims, asserting: "As the public were against letting the trucks pass through, the trucks were sent back."

Investigations indicate syndicates are shifting tactics due to strict enforcement checks at the Assam-West Bengal border. Operators are rerouting shipments across Upper Assam, aiming to load the coal onto trains at railheads like Tuli in Nagaland or Lakwa in Assam for delivery outside the Northeast.

Beyond state revenue losses, this ongoing illicit trade carries severe environmental penalties. Activists highlight that trucks carry up to 40 tons of unregulated coal, causing significant structural damage to public highways.

Moreover, toxic acid mine runoff from unregulated pits leaks directly into interstate rivers, threatening agricultural land and downstream water sources.

With more than 200 trucks reportedly stranded along border junctions, opposition leaders are demanding an impartial, independent probe into the transport network to completely dismantle the multi-crore syndicate. The public now demands strict border transparency.

Local residents fear that unchecked mining operations will continue to devastate local ecosystems and deprive the state exchequer of critical mining royalties unless central enforcement agencies intervene immediately.

Law enforcement must act to ensure full environmental accountability across borders immediately.

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