Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi on Friday formally requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to order an independent investigation into alleged illegal quarrying in the Panimura Range of Karbi Anglong district. In his letter, Gogoi expressed serious concern over quarrying operations reportedly taking place without valid environmental clearances, which he said are posing significant risks to the ecological balance, public safety, and the legal regulatory framework. According to the Congress leader, while quarry operators were initially permitted to extract three lakh cubic meters of stone over a seven-year period beginning in 2017, actual extraction has reportedly crossed 80 lakh cubic meters, exceeding legal limits by a wide margin.
“These operations have caused severe air and noise pollution, endangered local communities, and led to enormous revenue loss to the exchequer,” Gogoi stated. The Congress chief highlighted that this is not an isolated issue. He referred to his previous letters to the Prime Minister concerning illegal mining in Assam, including one in January 2025 following the deaths of nine workers in a Dima Hasao coal mine, and a follow-up in May 2025 after the Enforcement Directorate exposed a cross-state coal syndicate. Despite these warnings, he claimed, the public has received little clarity on outcomes, raising concerns about accountability.
Gogoi further alleged that the illegal quarrying in Karbi Anglong is linked to the same syndicate controlling mineral extraction across Assam. He accused quarry operators, political figures, and officials of collusion, using tactics such as over-extraction, falsified records, organized transport, and political protection, which have undermined public trust in governance.