An interim report by the Justice (Retd.) B.P. Katakey Committee has exposed serious lapses in ground-level policing in East Jaintia Hills. According to the panel, officers of the Umpleng Outpost under Khliehriat Police Station failed to detect an operational illegal coal mine in Lumbangla village, despite the presence of reinforced cement concrete structures, cranes, mining tools and 2,112 MT of illegally extracted coal.
The findings followed a complaint filed by Mawlai MLA Brightstarwell Marbaniang on November 19, 2025, supported by video evidence of active mining. Marbaniang also told the committee that complaints from the Lumbangla Dorbar Shnong to the SP on August 11, 2025 and to the Chief Secretary on May 9, 2025 drew no response.
Despite photographic proof showing cranes and tools near the mine, the panel noted that authorities seized only two coal dumps. Photos also revealed RCC boundaries and newly built plastic-covered huts, indicating that the mining operation was ongoing and long-running. Despite the NGT’s 2014 ban, the Supreme Court’s 2019 ruling, and subsequent orders, illegal coal mining in Lumbangla continues, according to Justice Katakey. The DC and SP should identify susceptible mining areas, bolster patrols, secure access points, and prevent the transportation of illicit coal, according to the committee’s recommendations.
