GUWAHATI, Sept 25 - State�s Director General of Police (DGP) has been asked by a high-level meeting to constitute teams involving police, forest, revenue and transport officials with clear cut jurisdiction in Karbi Anglong, Nagaon and Golaghat districts for strict compliance of the Supreme Court order on stone mining in the vicinity of the Kaziranga National Park (KNP).
The Supreme Court of India, through an order passed on April 12, 2019 in WP (C) 202/1995, made State�s DGP and Superintendents of Police (SPs) of Karbi Anglong, Nagaon, and Golaghat directly responsible to ensure complete stoppage of all types of mining activities along the southern boundary of the KNP and in the entire catchment areas of the streams/rivers originating from Karbi Anglong hill ranges and flowing into the KNP.
The meeting was held by the Chief Secretary of the State with the senior officials of the civil and police administration recently to review the Supreme Court order on illegal mining around the KNP.
One more decision of the meeting also asked the DGP to serve notices on the owners of stone crushers, giving 15 days time, to dismantle or remove their machines. The list of the stone crushers is to be obtained from the Divisional Forest Officer (E), Karbi Anglong.
The DGP has also been asked by the meeting to issue orders that all vehicles carrying mining materials would install GPS, preferably satellite-based, on their vehicles. For installing such devices on these vehicles, 30 days time is to be given and after the expiry of this deadline no vehicle laden with mined materials should be allowed to ply in Karbi Anglong, Golaghat and Nagaon districts without GPS.
The Forest Department has been asked by the meeting to take immediate action to digitize Transit Passes (TP) with barcode for carrying sand, gravel, stones and other quarry products out of mining leases granted under Assam Mines and Minerals Concession Rules, 2013. No vehicle without GPS should be issued TP in Karbi Anglong, Golaghat and Nagaon districts.
Forest Department should also ensure that all terms and conditions for carrying mining lease product in Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) guidelines is made part of mining lease conditions.
Moreover, to curb the possibility of smaller vehicles carrying illegal mining produce to Parkup Pahar, installation of Trap Cameras should be considered in specific sport by the SPs of Karbi Anglong, Golaghat and Nagaon, said another decision of the meeting.
