Umrangso mine crisis: BP Katakey Commission urges action against Dima Hasao DC
When contacted, Deputy Commissioner of Dima Hasao, Simanta Kr Das, refused to comment on the issue
The first dead body from the coal mine, retrieved at around 7:36 am on January 11, has been identified as that of 26-year-old Lijan Magar, a native of Dima Hasao (AT Photo)
Guwahati, Jan. 15: The one-man commission investigating illegal coal mining in Meghalaya has called for stringent action against the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Dima Hasao in Assam following the Umrangso coal crisis.
Justice (retired) BP Katakey, leading the commission, stressed that the DC must be held accountable for the illegal mining activities in the district, a Shillong-based news portal reported.
When contacted by The Assam Tribune, Deputy Commissioner of Dima Hasao, Simanta Kr Das, refused to comment on the issue, stating that he was neither aware of the BP Katakey Commission nor had he been apprised of the one-man commission's work in this matter.
"I am not aware of the Commission, and I have not seen its report, so I have no comments on this regard," said DC Das.
Recently, senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi highlighted the commission's findings, which indicate that illegal rat-hole mining continues to take place in Assam despite a Supreme Court ban.
“Nobody wants to engage in hazardous, life-threatening jobs like rat-hole mining. Yet, the youth in Assam have no choice but to participate due to the failed economic policies of the double-engine BJP government,” Gogoi said, taking potshot at the BJP government.
Further intensifying the allegations, Gogoi accused the government of being complicit in a coal syndicate.
He warned that as long as individuals involved in the coal trade occupy positions of power in Dispur, incidents like the Umrangso coal crisis would continue to plague the state. “Assam’s economy will not improve under such circumstances,” Gogoi added.
Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President Bhupen Borah also condemned the government, accusing the Chief Minister of benefiting from the coal syndicate. Borah specifically pointed to a Minister in the Chief Minister’s Cabinet, alleging their involvement in the illegal mining operations.
Borah further claimed that the Chief Minister is fully aware of the illegal activities and is receiving proceeds from the syndicate. “Debolal Garlosa and his wife are the face of the coal syndicate. The Chief Minister is prioritizing their protection,” Borah alleged, adding that if Garlosa were captured, many more people involved in the syndicate would be exposed.
In the latest development, two FIRs have been filed against Garlosa and his wife Kanika for their alleged involvement in illegal coal mining operations in Umrangso.
The charges include violations of the Supreme Court and National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) ban on rat-hole mining, as well as breaches of the Environmental Protection Act, Mines and Minerals Act, and the Forest Conservation Act.