Coal trucks from Bhutan will not be stopped

The Meghalaya government on Friday issued a modified order for allowing transportation of coal that “originated outside the State”.

This followed an alleged misinterpretation of the Supreme Court’s January 15 order by Customs officials in Meghalaya, following which 28 coal trucks from Bhutan were prevented from delivering the consignment to Bangladesh. The apex court had through the order banned the transportation of extracted coal from Meghalaya’s illegal rat-holes till February 19.

Bhutan exports coal to Bangladesh via India. The trucks travelled about 265 km from Darranga on the Assam-Bhutan border to the integrated check post at Dawki on the Meghalaya-Bangladesh border.

“The coal which originated outside Meghalaya and being transported through the State of Meghalaya” would be permitted for transportation in “partial modification” of an earlier order, said the order by T. Dkhar, Commissioner and Secretary of the State’s Department of Mining and Geology. “We have been told that the coal trucks from Bhutan will be allowed to move into Bangladesh on Saturday,” Dolly Khonglah, secretary of Meghalaya International Exporters’ Chamber of Commerce, said.