SHILLONG, May 10 - Supreme Court, through an order today, has provided a window of 15 days for the transportation of 75,050 metric tonnes of mined coal in Meghalaya with proper monitoring by officers not below the rank of Deputy Commissioners.
The Court allowed the mined coal to be transported from May 17 to May 31. The Court further ruled that no fresh transportation challan be issued as the necessary documents for the mined coal has already been issued.
�We, thus, permit the transportation of 75,050 MT of coal with regard to which transportation challans have already been issued. The State of Meghalaya has to take necessary precaution that under the guise of this permission, no other coal is transported or mined,� the order stated.
The Katakey Committee Report has noted that challan for transport of coal was issued for 1,76,655 metric tonnes. About 94,099 metric tonnes have already been transported and what is left to be transported was 75,050 metric tonnes, the Court said.
The mined coal has not been transported as the Court ordered the halt of all transportation of coal on January 15 this year after miners were trapped in an illegal rat-hole coal mine.
�The State of Meghalaya has to deliberate on the mechanism to ensure that only those, who have transport challans should be permitted to transport the 75,050 MT as noted by Katekey Committee,� the order said.
The Court said the State Government should also spell out the mechanism it adopts for the transportation and �publicise it for the benefit of all concerned and put in place within a week from today.�
