The Meghalaya High Court has directed a full investigation into the mysterious disappearance of nearly 4,000 metric tonnes of illegally extracted coal from two designated depots in the state, calling the matter a serious lapse in governance and enforcement.
The directive came during a hearing on Thursday, when a bench led by Justice HS Thangkhiew expressed concern over how previously inventoried coal had vanished from storage sites in Rajaju and Diengngan villages. The missing coal had earlier been identified during official surveys and marked for necessary action.
The court’s observations followed the submission of the 31st interim report by the Justice (Retd) BP Katakey Committee, which is monitoring coal-related issues in the state. The report revealed startling discrepancies between recorded and actual quantities of coal at the two depots. While the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA) had earlier reported 1,839.03 MT of coal at Diengngan, only 2.5 MT could be found during recent ground verification. In Rajaju, out of the recorded 2,121.62 MT, merely 8 MT remained.
Describing the disappearance as alarming, the court instructed the state government to immediately identify both the individuals and the officials responsible for the removal of the coal, which had already been flagged as illegally mined. It warned that such lapses point to systemic failure in tracking and securing coal inventories and said that accountability must be established.
Beyond the missing coal, the committee report also flagged delays and confusion in disposing of inventoried coal currently stored at Coal India Limited (CIL) depots. In response to a previous court order issued on June 2, the committee held meetings with stakeholders, including CIL, to streamline the auction process. CIL proposed four options for sale and disposal, three of which are already part of the Revised Comprehensive Plan of 2022.
The committee has also recommended adding two new mandatory clauses to the plan: that buyers must make full payment within 120 days of a successful bid, and that coal must be lifted within 120 days of full payment. Any failure to comply would result in cancellation of the bid, forfeiture of the Earnest Money Deposit (EMD), and re-auctioning of the coal.
The High Court has now asked the state to implement the recommended measures swiftly and ensure greater transparency and oversight in future coal management processes.
