Tura, Feb 10: Taking a hard stand against violation of norms and misuse of agricultural land for industrial purposes, the District Level Task Force (DLTF) of West Garo Hills on Wednesday carried out a seizure and demolition drive against illegal brick kilns in the Gomaijhora area under Phulbari and Batabara in the plains belt region, following reports of unauthorized brick earth mining.
The kilns were found violating the Meghalaya Minor Mineral Concession Rules (MMMCR), 2016, operating without mandatory Consent to Establish (CTE) and Consent to Operate (CTO) from the State Pollution Control Board. Despite earlier show-cause notices, the operators continued illegal activities, prompting enforcement action.
The DLTF—comprising officials from the District Administration, Police, Forest and Water Resources departments, the State Pollution Control Board, and two independent members—authorized the demolition of the illegal kilns and seizure of mined brick earth.
Two JCB machines and a dumper truck were used during the operation, and the seized materials were transported to the Range Office for safe custody.
DFO-cum-Member Secretary DLTF, Shri Rupanker K. Marak, said regular inspections would continue to curb illegal brick earth mining and urged citizens to report such activities for timely action.
