Guwahati, Apr 26: Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi on Saturday said the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has “exposed” the illegal coal empire in Assam where illegal mining activities have been going “under the nose” of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma “who kept denying” it.
Gogoi also asked who is Assam’s real “Syndicate Raja” and demanded an answer from the state government.
The Congress leader’s statement came after the ED carried out searches on Thursday at 15 premises located in Assam and Meghalaya as part of a money laundering investigation linked to alleged illegal coal mining and running of coke plants.
“ED exposes Assam’s illegal coal empire! Rs 1.58 crore cash seized. Fake invoices. 1200 tonnes of illegal coal extracted DAILY in Margherita, Jogighopa, Guwahati. All under the nose of CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, who kept denying illegal mining!” Gogoi wrote on X.
He alleged the coal mafia paid Rs 1.27-Rs 1.5 lakh per truck to clear borders and the coal depots in Assam used to launder crime as “legal mining”.
“15 sites raided, syndicate links confirmed between Meghalaya & Assam,” the Congress deputy leader in Lok Sabha wrote.
“Is this loot possible without the government’s protection? Who is Assam’s real Syndicate Raja? When ED raids & HC summons expose the truth, how long will the CM hide behind denials? Dispur must answer. People of Assam demand accountability,” he said.
The ED Friday said despite a ban on mining in Meghalaya, illegal rat hole quarrying was being “rampantly” done under “inhuman” conditions in the state and searches conducted by it found that about 1,200 tonnes of coal through such means was being excavated daily.
The agency said it found that a “syndicate” having people from Meghalaya and Assam as in-charge ensured that trucks containing illegal coal cleared the borders of Meghalaya and entered into Assam. Documents were prepared to show this load as legally mined coal, it said.
The syndicate used to charge Rs 1.27 lakh-Rs 1.5 lakh per truck from the mine owners in the name of “commission” in cash, the ED said.
The illegally mined coal was stored at depots located at Jogighopa, Assam. Thereafter it was transported to different industries like cement manufacturing, brick kilns, iron and steel industry and illegal coke plants, according to the ED.
Some part of the illegally mined coal, the agency added, was directly transported to the unregulated coke plants from a depot in the northeastern region. (PTI)
