Abhijit Nath, NET Correspondent, Tripura
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb-led government is planning to take more stringent measures to dismantle the coal mafia operating in the state. The government has been incurring a loss of Rs 25 Cr per annum as coal is being imported through unofficial channels.
Official figures put no of registered brick kilns at 236. There are also 18 tea manufacturing units in Tripura. The annual consumption of coal is around 1.60 lakh metric tons to 2 lakh metric tons.
The official said “We have seen how Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb took strong exception to the work culture of the Churaibari gate located on the Assam-Tripura border. The reason behind his tough stance was the ongoing coal smuggling nexus. Instead of pecuniary benefits, a section of officials are giving inside support to these smuggling rackets otherwise, there is no other way to enter Tripura rather than that”.
Tripura Commissioner of Taxes Dr. Vishal Kumar said, “More than 50 percent of the coal that enters Tripura is not accounted for tax purposes and is illegal.”
Tripura government has taken strong exception to this syndicate raj and alerted officials to bust this racket as soon as possible. Chief Minister Deb had personally visited the Churaibari inter-state check post to oversee the situation. He also directed the officials to take strict measures against illegal business.
