Key Points

In a letter to the Prime Minister, the Congress leader expressed concern that quarrying operations are being carried out without valid environmental clearances, posing serious threats to ecology, public safety, and legal frameworks.

According to Gogoi, quarry operators had been permitted to extract three lakh cubic metres of stone over a seven-year period beginning in 2017.

However, actual extraction has allegedly crossed 80 lakh cubic metres -- more than 25 times the approved limit.

"These operations have caused severe air and noise pollution, endangered local communities, and inflicted enormous losses on the state exchequer," the Congress leader said.

He added that he had previously written to the Prime Minister regarding illegal mining activities in Assam, including a communication earlier this year in January following the deaths of nine workers in a coal mine in Dima Hasao, and in May, follow-up after the Enforcement Directorate unearthed a cross-state coal syndicate.

Gogoi alleged that despite these revelations, little progress had been made in ensuring accountability, fuelling public mistrust.

The Congress leader further claimed that the Panimura quarrying case was linked to the same powerful syndicate controlling mineral extraction across Assam.

He claimed the use of methods such as over-extraction, falsified records, organised transportation networks, and political protection to sustain operations.

"Illegal quarrying in Karbi Anglong is not an isolated event but part of a wider nexus involving operators, political actors, and officials. This collusion has eroded public trust in governance and undermined the rule of law," Gogoi wrote.

Demanding immediate action, the Assam Congress Chief urged the Centre to order an independent investigation into Panimura's quarrying activities, review progress of previous coal-related inquiries, and suspend all unlawful operations.

He also called for accountability to be fixed not only on quarry operators but also on officials and political patrons allegedly enabling the violations.

- IANS