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CISF recovers 428 tonnes illegal coal from Bengal, Jharkhand
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel recovered more than 428 metric tonnes of illegally mined, stored and transported coal from mines in Jharkhand and West Bengal during a five-day enforcement drive
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel recovered more than 428 metric tonnes of illegally mined, stored and transported coal from mines in Jharkhand and West Bengal during a five-day enforcement drive under the Union government’s “zero coal leakage” initiative, officials aware of the development said on Thursday.
The operation was carried out across the coalfields of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) and Central Coalfields Limited (CCL).
“The operation, conducted between July 4 and 8, resulted in the recovery of 428.34 metric tonnes of illegally mined, stored, or transported coal, the registration of four FIRs, and the seizure of a heavy duty dump truck, 13 motorcycles and other equipment used in illegal mining and transportation of the country’s precious energy source,” a senior CISF spokesperson said.
Union home minister Amit Shah on July 5, directed officials to prioritise the deployment of the CISF for enhanced security in the coal sector while “expressing concern” over the menace of illegal coal mining and coal theft in Dhanbad and nearby areas. Shah reviewed the illegal coal mining situation at a meeting in New Delhi.
During the meeting, Shah directed the CISF and coal ministry to enforce the new authorisation powers granted to the agencies under the law to combat illegal coal mining. The authorisation under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, empowers CISF and Coal India Limited personnel to file court cases, enter premises where illegally mined coal is suspected to be stored, conduct search and seizure operations, and confiscate illegally extracted coal along with the tools, equipment and vehicles used in unauthorised mining and transportation.
According to the CISF spokesperson, the enforcement drive follows the empowerment of designated CISF officers under Sections 22, 23B and 24 of the MMDR Act.
The operations were conducted in coordination with Coal India subsidiaries, local police and district administrations. At BCCL in Dhanbad, the spokesperson said raids were conducted in Katras, Block-II, Basantimata (Kargil), Kustore, Sijua, Jealgora, Barora, Govindpur and NTST areas. CISF recovered 319.54 metric tonnes of illegally stored coal, seized a coal-laden truck and multiple motorcycles allegedly used for illegal transportation, and initiated legal action under the MMDR Act.
At ECL Sheetalpur, operations were carried out in Rajmahal, Salanpur, Chitra, Chapapur-II OCP (Mugma Area), Sonepur-Bazari and Kunustoria areas, the spokesperson said. The operations resulted in the recovery of 85.93 metric tonnes of illegally mined and stocked coal, seizure of vehicles allegedly used for illegal transportation and apprehension of trespassers, he added.
At CCL Piparwar, CISF recovered 13.62 metric tonnes of illegally transported coal, the spokesperson said. At CCL Kargali, special operations led to the recovery of 9.25 metric tonnes of illegally extracted coal and the seizure of seven motorcycles allegedly used in illegal mining activities, he added.
“CISF remains committed to working closely with the Ministry of Coal, Coal India Limited, its subsidiaries, state governments and state police to eliminate illegal mining and coal theft,” the spokesperson said.
