Assam Government Urged To Adopt Zero Tolerance In Coal Syndicates

GUWAHATI: The Assam Assembly on Wednesday witnessed an animated discussion over the alleged syndicates running in the State. Raising the issue on the floors of the House, Congress legislator from Golaghat Ajanta Neog urged the government to adopt strict measures to curb syndicates of all sorts across the State.

Referring to allegations, Neog said that “some close associates of the Chief Minister appear to be involved in the rampant coal syndicate. Even GST challans have been said to be forged. The coal is loaded on trucks in Meghalaya and taken through Guwahati to be loaded in goods trains at Jogighopa for transportation outside the State.”

Stating that “I do not have proof”, Neog, however, pointed out that “there are also charges that many high-level police officers are involved in the coal syndicate. There are also reports that some police personnel even extort up to one lakh of rupees from each such coal trucker.”

Expressing surprise at the functioning of such a network of the syndicate, Neog said, “Even Dilip Paul of the BJP has said in the media that a coal syndicate is running in the Barak valley, and also that some police officials are closely involved in it.

“There are also reports of similar syndicates running with respect to eggs, fish, meat, cattle and supari (dried betel nuts),” Neog stated, posing: How come, there is no zero tolerance with respect to the syndicates?

Neog added: Following probes, small fries are caught allowing the big fishes to run away.

Replying to Neog’s charges, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandramohan Patowary said, “The Government does not support syndicates. As per decisions are taken at the very first meeting of the Cabinet of this Government, all check gates except four inter-State ones have been closed down. The Government has zero tolerance over the issue. Already, the Government has instituted a CID probe into the charges over the alleged coal syndicate in the State.”

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