Coal belt gets new lease of life, but...

Tinsukia: With the resumption of mining operations on a low scale by North Eastern Coalfields of Coal India Limited (CIL) after a gap of almost one-and-a-half years, the coal belt region of Margherita got a new life. The CIL began its mining operations in the non-disputed area of the Tikok Open Cast Project (OCP) on February 10.

After Saleki PRF has been upgraded to RF status with clear-cut boundaries, the CIL is not optimized to run the business on the present industrial policy to meet the fuel and energy crisis. According to a source, the CIL has to procure the land at a much higher price than levied earlier against Compensatory Afforestation and Net Present Value (NPV) which was Rs 43.2485 crore. The source is also doubtful about the viability of renewed mining operations.

As the entire mining belt of Margherita lies in the inaccessible terrain border of Arunachal Pradesh's Changlang district with Naga insurgents controlling some areas, patrolling and checking of illegal mining remain a big challenge for forest and police personnel. The livelihood of the considerable populace in and around Margherita depends on illegal mining. The majority of miners are addicted to drugs. In absence of any income, these sections of people allegedly engaged themselves in burglary, robbery and other anti-social works, as reflected from police records.

According to police, illegal mining came to a complete halt in the Assam side after the closure of mines, though mining is rampant in the Changlang district, the extracts of which are often being transported via Assam in clandestine routes. This is also corroborated by an official of Digboi Forest Division which regularly conducts operations in vulnerable areas. They also admitted that a few coal-laden trucks do ply on the Assam route but not in hundreds, as claimed by MP Pradyut Bordoloi recently.

As CIL commenced its mining operations, the coal mafia, syndicate holders, owners of coke bhattas and private collieries are bound to surface sooner or later as this is an opportunity they have been looking for.

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