Kolkata, Sept. 9 -- The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has intensified its enforcement operations against illegal coal extraction and transportation in the Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) command areas located in West Bengal and Jharkhand over the past few months and has recovered a huge quantity of illegally extracted coal worth about Rs 2.27 crore.
Alongside the recovery, the central security agency has apprehended four persons and registered 778 cases under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act.
As per the data, CISF personnel conducted 778 raids targeting illegal mining and coal theft. As a result, 778 cases were registered under the MMDR Act, including four cases filed directly by the CISF through complaints before the competent authorities.
During the operations, CISF teams identified 67 illegal mining sites across various ECL areas. All identified sites were subsequently closed and sealed, thereby preventing further unauthorised coal extraction. The special operations that were conducted in the past two and a half months, led to the recovery of about 3,966.990 metric tonnes of illegally mined or stolen coal, with an estimated value of more than Rs 2.27 crore.
The enforcement drive also resulted in the interception and seizure of vehicles and other conveyances allegedly used for illegal mining and coal transportation. The seized vehicles include two trucks, five totos, 97 motorcycles, eight tractors, 218 bicycles and three pickup vans.
It has been learnt that such enforcement operations will continue in vulnerable areas to prevent illegal mining and coal theft. The CISF is also prioritising the early identification and closure of illegal mining sites to prevent their further use for unauthorised extraction.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.