APCC chief Gaurav Gogoi seeks PM’s intervention against illegal mining in Karbi Anglong

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaAugust 22, 2025

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president and Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to order an independent probe into large-scale illegal mining in Karbi Anglong, alleging collusion between quarry operators, political actors, and officials.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Gogoi highlighted what he described as the “alarming scale of illegal quarrying in the Panimura range”, claiming that operations were being carried out without valid environmental clearances.

According to Gogoi, quarry operators were initially permitted to extract three lakh cubic meters of stone over seven years beginning in 2017. “However, the actual extraction has already exceeded 80 lakh cubic meters—an astonishing figure far beyond the legal limits,” he wrote, adding that the unchecked operations have led to air and noise pollution, put local communities at risk, and caused massive losses to the state exchequer.

The MP said the episode reflects a larger pattern of “organised plunder of natural resources in Assam”. He recalled his earlier letters to the Prime Minister: in January 2025, after nine workers died in an illegal rat-hole mine in Dima Hasao, and again in May 2025, after the Enforcement Directorate exposed a coal-mining and transportation syndicate operating across Assam and Meghalaya.

“Despite those revelations and the sealing of 245 illegal mines, there has been no visible progress, raising serious concerns over accountability,” Gogoi said. He alleged that the illegal quarrying in Karbi Anglong is part of the same syndicate controlling mineral extraction across the state through over-extraction, falsified records, organised transport, and political protection.

Calling the situation a “deep malaise,” Gogoi demanded immediate suspension of unlawful activities, a review of earlier inquiry findings, and accountability not just for operators but also for officials and political patrons enabling the violations.

“I trust you will treat this matter with urgency to uphold the law, protect resources, and restore public faith in governance,” Gogoi urged in his letter to Modi.