Tura: The Association for Democracy and Empowerment (ADE) has raised concerns over the use of roads in Garo Hills as a transit route for coal coming from Jharkhand with the association pointing out that plying of heavy vehicles will further worsen the already poor roads in the area.
The ADE raised the concerns a month after a businessman from Williamnagar in East Garo Hills won a Coal India auction in Jharkhand to export coal from Bokaro to Bangladesh via Meghalaya. The businessman, Georgeman Marak, had stated that the first consignment of coal ready for export to Bangladesh weighs 3,300 MT.
“We were told that the first consignment of coal is about 3,300 MTs and more will be arriving in the following months. These consignment will pass through Garo Hills where the condition of the roads are pathetic at best. To further use the road for transport of such heavy load is unadvisable. We simply cannot let this happen unless we are thoroughly told about the whole adventure,” ADE president Dalseng B Ch Momin said.
The ADE president also questioned the reasoning behind the route being used for transportation when the authorities must very well know the condition of the roads.
“As much as we are optimistic about this venture, we are concerned about its end result. Who is the beneficiary of the whole deal? Will our state earn profits through this project or is this all about getting one person richer than before,” Momin asked.
He also asked if things were in place by the authorities concerned to ensure maintenance of the roads which will be damaged so that people don’t suffer.
ADE insisted that it was not against any businessmen or ventures but felt that authentic concerns should be addressed taking people of this region into confidence.
“We are purely interested in the generation of revenue for the state through this transaction. If the government does not get adequate revenue and the people are not benefited, we can’t just sit idle and let some people destroy our roads for their personal gain. We will protest if our concerns are not attended to appropriately,” he added.
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