Saga of illegal coal mining in Assam's Tinsukia district

PART-II

CORRESPONDENT

TINSUKIA: Illegal coal mining in the Ledu-Margherita sector is controlled by several people at different locations from Changlang-Assam border to Lalpahar close to Tipong Colliery in a most organized way after corridors were established connecting all passages in the upper reaches of forests. While some areas like Aradhara, Malou Pahar share indistinguishable boundary with Arunachal Pradesh, the miners in thousand are mostly migrants from several districts of Assam for whom the other side of National Highway is a forbidden area. Once the labourers enter the area they are not allowed to mix with local population.

Though the recent death of three coal miners due to an explosion in a rat-hole mine near Malou Pahar close to Titok Colliery and another couple of days back raised a huge public outcry, but according to sources deaths inside rat-hole mines are a regular occurrence but goes unrecorded. The sources added that hundreds of miners had died previously and their bodies were buried in forests.

The worrisome fact is that coal mafias having allegiance to NSCN militants are reportedly attempting to claim Naga-dominated possible mining areas like Lalpahar (SemaBasti), Paharpur, Bomgora etc. The two villages - Phimbiru (peak) and Bomgora (foothill) - lying along Assam-Arunachal Pradesh boundary forest are inhabited by Naga people who claim that the forest belong to them under community forest ownership and NSCN militants periodically collect taxes from them even as areas are located much within Assam. Some even established tea gardens. According to a source, recently a new coke bhatta in Bomgora area has sprung up, adding to 22 illegal and 36 legal coke bhattas that are already in existence. Prior to closure of mining activities (legal), there were more than 85 coke bhattas receiving coal from legal and illegal sources. These 22 coal bhattas having 10-12 ovens each supposed to consume 147 metric tonnes of coal per day.

Now the question arises from where the owners of coke bhattas get raw materials other than CIL quota?

Temporary settlements to accommodate thousands of migrant labourers have been established in revenue areas like Jharna Basti, Basbari, Malou Gaon etc., which are 2-3 km from NH 38, though around 1,500 migrant miners have either fled or shifted to elsewhere after three death incidents.

The modus operandi of illegal coal transportation is intriguing. While one entry is through ChanglangTinali-Aradhara PP gate holding mostly Nagaland Transit Permit (TP), other transporters either carry online TP or a specific code (TP) issued by 'anonymous' against the payment of hefty sum that act as exit pass. But the police sources said all these TPs are fake. Sme even use the TPs multiple times after surrendering/withdrawing the TPs at a particular point. These TPs are mostly used in upper and central Assam, said the source. Poclains are widely used to make passages in difficult terrain and to locate coal seams in the forest. According to a source, there are minimum 12 Poclains owned by six persons operating illegally in mining areas, besides several excavators. In order to check illegal mining, all illegal Poclains should be seized and illegal settlers dotted along NH 38 should be evicted permanently. (Concluded)

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