Coal smuggling: DTO summoned

Guwahati: The CID on Monday summoned Kamrup (Metro) district transport officer (Enforcement) Prasenjit Kumar Ghosh for questioning in connection with his alleged involvement in illegal coal trading.
Nirmal Baishya, additional SP (CID) and the investigation officer in the case, said, "Ghosh has been directed to appear before the investigation team on March 7 morning." Earlier, the investigation agency had summoned six other transport officials for questioning on Monday. However, they didn't appear before the probing team till the filing of this report. The six officials are Chitra Kumar Nath, Tapuram Bora, Anuraag Chandilya, Bedanta Gogoi, Mrigen Sharma and Madhob Neog.

Baishya added, "Additional summons will be issued to them if they fail to comply with the order again and then the CID would take necessary steps."

Sources said transport officials were allegedly involved in the racket and had been helping smugglers to transport coal out of the state without valid documents in exchange of heft bribe.

In February, the CID took suo moto cognizance of reports on illegal trading in coal in the state and started an investigation into its alleged smuggling from the mines at Ledo and Margherita bordering Arunachal Pradesh. Following criticism from the opposition and media reports, Assam industries and commerce minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said a CID probe has been ordered.

Opposition parties in the state attacked the ruling BJP-led government after a previous CID probe into alleged coal smuggling had found the involvement of several local politicians and police personnel in the scam.