Post News Network
Angul, March 14: Illegal coal transportation in public passenger buses from the town bus stand here has been going on unabated despite the presence of a police outpost in the area.
This has been going on in broad daylight as one can find coal sacks being loaded in passenger buses for smuggling them to various destinations in the district. However, neither the police, nor the administration or the transport officials have been effective in curbing the illegal trading.
The ineptness of the police and transport officials has only emboldened the smugglers to carry on with their business with impunity.
This correspondent, while taking a stroll in the bus-stand Saturday, found coal sacks being loaded into private passenger buses which have been brought in bicycles from Talcher coal mines region. These coal stocks are being routed through Kumando, Kuio to reach the town bus-stand. He found the coal stocks being packed into sacks and then loaded into a private passenger bus.
He found that the policemen moving in front of the outpost have all the knowledge about this smuggling, but have chosen to keep mum for some oblivious reasons. While rule debars transportation of coal in passenger buses as illegal, the policemen’s silence was all the more
suspicious.
Moreover, the transport officials are equally unresponsive as they have never cared to conduct surprise raids or verify the vehicles carrying coal stocks to different destinations from the bus-stand.
Some of the shopkeepers, speaking on condition of anonymity, alleged that such coal transportation is a
regular affair and has been thriving because of tacit support by police.
They said that several times, passengers have protested such coal loading, but their
complaints are never heeded by the bus staff. It is quite
dangerous to carry coal in
passenger vehicles as there is every possibility that the stocks may catch fire putting the lives of passengers at risk.