Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: The Leader of Opposition (LoO), Assam Legislative Assembly, Debabrata Saikia has moved the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court with the request to the latter for taking suo moto cognizance against various syndicates and illegal mining going on in the State.
Saikia mentioned in his plea before the high court that despite the High Court making a clear indication to create/set up a high-level committee and a Mines and Minerals Task Force Battalion within a period of three months the Department of Mines and Minerals has formed neither the high-level committee nor the task force as yet. The non-formation of the high-level committee and the task force by the department does not let Saikia to affix any supporting documents along with his plea which may be evidentiary to the High Court as sought by the bench in his two PILs (78/2018 and 62/2019) filed by him earlier, the Leader of the Opposition said. “Resultantly till today such illegal mining is continuing unabated and many rivers including Dikhow river have to bear the brunt. Crores of rupees are siphoned off by vested interests due to such illegal mining,” Saikia said, requesting the Chief Justice of the High Court to initiate necessary steps to take a suo moto cognizance for non-constitution of high-level committee and the Mines and Minerals Task Force Battalion and also to issue guidelines to abate all illegal mining in Assam.
Also Watch: International Day of Women and Girls in Science observed at Assam Startup the Nest in Guwahati