Illegal mining & extortion : An open secret in Mon-Upper Assam stretch

 Illegal mining & extortion : An open secret in Mon-Upper Assam stretch ?

Oting/Mon (Nagaland)

  

When an axe is used to cut down a tree, the tree would stare towards the wooden handle and say -- so you are the 'betrayer' my friend, without you the axe could never harm me.

You spend a few hours in Oting and adjoining areas of Mon district of Nagaland, there are chances you may hit upon coal mine workers and even entrepreneurs.

"Sab jaani asey... (Everyone knows about this industry)," is a common refrain. But the statement is guarded. The 'open secret' is that most of the mining activity in the region including in some parts of Upper Assam are illegal.

"The extortion racket has led to a decline in investment in the region in both parts of Nagaland and Assam  with several mining companies being forced to cough out huge amounts of extortion money or shut down their operations," says a Mon-based businessman.

'Nagaland Page'

Go down a bit into areas in Assam and one could find operatives sharing these views. But there is a mild whispering as most of them interacting on the subject want to do so only on the condition of anonymity.

There is an official ban; but illegal coal mining has been continuing unabated in upper Assam’s Tinsukia-Sonari stretch and also in the Mon district of Nagaland. One grievance of the natives is indiscriminate large-scale destruction of the forest. The other complaint is against the alleged nexus between the forest, police, and other government agencies in both the states with illegal coal mafias.

In Nagaland, the issue is linked to armed groups. "Mining activities are linked to extortion by

insurgent groups. These groups demand a percentage of the profits made by mining companies,"

says an Assam Rifles official posted in Mon district.

"We have coal unions distributing the collected money to underground groups

if various demands are not met," says a local resident.

There are also 'petty to a few big crimes' like kidnapping. The issue of rampant illegal coal mining is reported

regularly from Lekhapani, Margherita and Ledo in the Tinsukia district of Assam. 

The general observation of course is both the states are losing out revenue and yet they are also sustaining

damage to the environment.

Sources say it is not that the administrations do not act. 

From time to time Magistrates/civil administration have been promulgating 144 CrPC in Lekhapani Reserve 

Forest, Tirap Reserve Forest, and Tipong Reserve Forest in the mineral and oil-rich Digboi Forest Division.

But these actions hardly create fear in the minds of the wrongdoers and the players in the game.

"In Assam, such big things involving huge amounts cannot be going on without political patronage,"

says a local shopkeeper near Bhojo railway station; but he would not speak much.

Such refrains can be heard even in Nagaland. Authorities in both the states in coordination with

security forces had launched a crackdown a few years back on illegal mining activities in the region,

leading to the arrest of several individuals involved in such activities.

A source said, "Enhanced movements of security forces in these mining hubs in 2021 had irked

many stakeholders....We may not speak much. Whether Oting killing was linked to deliberate

double-cross in intelligence inputs about underground movement ought to be probed, but all these

are difficult to be unearthed in that sense".

Senior civil officials do not like to say anything on record. But one of them merely made a general

statement but it was very apt. "The governments in Assam and Nagaland and also the centre

must also take steps to address the underlying socio-economic issues that contribute to the rise of insurgency

and extortion in the region".

Wrap up:

Last month, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Nagaland counterpart Neiphiu Rio

agreed in principle to go ahead with 'oil exploration' in areas along their disputed boundary for the economic

benefit of both states. Rio told reporters that exploration in the disputed areas would yield

royalties and these can be shared between the neighbouring states.

“Once it is formalised, there is huge potential for exploration of oil inside Nagaland also. And to move forward as

the country needs oil in a big way,” he said. Sarma also tweeted endorsing the same sentiment 

vis-a-vis "mutual gains and collaboration". 

But a question remains whether illegal coal mining was in the minds of the two Chief Ministers when they took

a controversial decision on oil exploration.

The umbrella outfit of militant groups, NNPG, has stated that elected MLAs from oil bearing areas of 

Mon, Longleng, Mokokchung, Wokha, Niuland, Dimapur and Peren must understand that the 

proposed MoU is another scam of the state government ‘to loot the future of the Naga people’.

“Let it be known that Nagas are solely landowners in the disturbed area belt and they have every right to adopt 

any measure to protect historical and customary rights over land against blatant misuse of power and 

authority by embezzlers and profiteers,” it said.

The NSCN-IM has also opposed the oil exploration move stating that, "no amount of justification 

in the name of mobilising financial resources for development would stand to ride roughshod over 

the inalienable Naga people's rights over their land resources".

The consultative meeting of Nagaland government with stakeholders and apex tribal bodies on oil exploration 

remained inconclusive suggesting that things are quite complex. 

Innocence is not always good. The biggest problem with innocence Is ....After a while, no one would remember 

your innocence.

ends