Shillong, Jan 13: The Associatio of Meghalaya Traders and Transporters (TAMTT) has sent the complaints to the Chief Minister of Meghalaya Mr Conrad K Sangma against the order passed by the Deputy Commissioner Ri Bhoi District, directing all coal that was unloaded in the depot in the Byrnihat and Jorabat area to be lifted with 48 hours or the District Administration will take action.
The Deputy Commissioner Ri Bhoi District has passed this order on the 09th January 2019. The TAMTT today has sent a complaint to the Chief Minister against the order of the Deputy Commissioner of Ri Bhoi District that all coal should be lifted with 48 hours from the Depot in and around Byrnihat and Jorabat ares.
In the compliant letter sent to the Chief Minister the President of The Association Meghalaya Traders and Transporter Mr Enrico D Pasi reflects the intention of the district administration nongpoh, to suppress freedom of trade in the state of Meghalaya.
In the letter also mention that the Supreme Court and National Green Tribunal never instructed or ordered that coal should be sold only to the places or destination as agreed by the Government. Further, neither the Supreme Court nor the Tational Green Tribunal has ever said that coal should be transported only through National Highway No-6 which passes near the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Nongpoh.
The choice of buyer lies with the traders not the Government. The Government cannot dictate the seller on whom to sell their coal and where. The coal traders are required to clear all the government dues, taxes, royalty, cess etc before leaving the state of Meghalaya, the role of the state Government is limited to checking of these statutory requirements only.
Now a day, coal traders from assam, due to the proposal of the Assam Government to set up smart city in Beltola , no longer have coal yard or trading centers in Beltola, hence, they plan to shift to Meghalaya which is the primary producer of coal and set up coal market with in Meghalaya only.
This initiative should be lauded and supported by the government of Meghalaya as lots of taxes will be generated by the state if coal market is set up in the Meghalaya-Assam border near Byrnihat and Jorabat. in the first place, the presence of coal market in the border area will strengthen the position of Meghalaya in those areas and prevent encroachment by people of Assam into Meghalaya.
The president of TAMTT said that this will help promote Meghalaya as the coal producing state in the region. Till date, Meghalaya coal is transported out of northeast through Beltola as it is the coal market area and coal is known as Assam coal. Assam Government is earning hundreds of crores of rupees from Meghalaya coal every year. This revenue doesn’t come to Meghalaya as the trading centre is in Assam. it will also create thousands of jobs for the local people.
The district administration of Ri Bhoi District should realize this and act responsibly. moreover, Byrnihat and Jorabat are located after the Government revenue collection centers which means all coal dumped at Byrnihat or Jorabat are the one which all government dues, taxes, royalty, Cess etc have already been paid, hence they are allowed to be transported further.
If the deputy commissioner Nongpoh has even a slightest doubt that the manner in which coal is stored or coal depot doesn’t conform to environmental standards, the owners of coal depots may be asked to make proper duming yard or depot which as environmental friendly. But it can never conclude that it is illegal to dump coal which has already passed the government check post in the depot or dumping yard.
If the deputy commissioner Nongpoh is to justify her order, then dumping of coal to all industrial estates which are located in Byrnihat and Jorabat should also be declared illegal and such industries should shut down and shifted to Assam in order to comply with her order.
There is no whisper anywhere in any of the orders passed by the National Green Tribunal that selling of coal should be only at the places designated by the government or NGT committee and the same should be transported only through National Highway No-6.
The President of the TAMTT said that for clarification of various orders passed by the National Green Tribunal, a proper team of legal experts may be constituted and deputy commissioner of Ri Bhoi District should be educated and advised properly on the way of interpretation of legal orders, the association urged the Chief Minister to recall the order passed by the Deputy Commissioner Ri Bhoi District said Mr Enrico D Pasi in the press statement today.
