Coal business especially coal transportation in Naginimora has been badly affected due to stoppage of transportation from Assam side.
According to reports coming in late Tuesday night from Mon, no coal vehicles were allowed to pass through Behubar/Simulguri for the two consecutive days and it was likely to continue indefinitely till the stalemate of entry fee in Assam side was settled.
The reports said that this was the second time in a fortnight coal trucks could not pass through Assam due to obstacles created from Assam side. It was learnt that in February, coal transportation was also stopped by people from the Assam side for more than a week.
The reports alleged that all coal business carried out in Nagaland was being monopolized by “middlemen” in Assam and that even Naginimora market was controlled by the same group of people.
“Local coal operators have little or no control over coal business. Coal transporters have to pay exorbitant entry fee to Assam law enforcing agencies, goondas and other organizations in order to let their vehicle pass through Assam”, said the report.
According to reports, the entry fee spent between Naginimora to Simulguri has gone up to Rs 2500 per vehicle in spite of having valid challan issued to the licensees by the department of geology and mining. Vehicle without valid challan have to pay between Rs 40,000 to 80,000 per vehicle, alleged the report.
This development has made local coal businessmen in Nagaland part “lion share of their business profit margin” to “middlemen” in order to carry out their business and all transaction of business were at their mercies, said the report.
Currently, the local market price in Naginimora was only Rs 3500 to 4000 per ton, whereas, in Guwahat coal market, Nagaland coal was fetching Rs 10,000 to 15000/- per ton.
It has been reported that local coal could not hit the market in Assam without the “middlemen”. All market including transportation was controlled by “middlemen” from the neignbouring state.
Due to these reasons, the coal business community in Nagaland have been struggling more than a decade for survival, said the report. It asked the state government to wake of from “slumber and do something” to have proper control over coal market in the interest of public service.