VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, June 6: Sahibganj district doesn’t consider Garam ghat as an illegal ferry ghat on the river Ganga which is alleged to be the hotbed of illegal transportation of the illegal stone mining products.
On June 4, the SDO of Sahibganj Rahul Ji Anand along with the district mining officer Bibhuti Kumar and the district transport officer Santosh Kumar Garg carried out a raid at Garam ghat to check trucks carrying stone chips have proper mining and transportation challans and these are not overloaded.
As usual, these officials found documents and everything perfect. But people wonder how the district administration can claim that they did not find anything wrong at the Garam ghat which is itself an illegally operated ghat.
The ferry service can operate between Samada ghat (Sahibganj) and Manihari ghat (Katihar, Bihar) only. But against the rule, the ferry service is operated between Garam ghat and Khuti ghat (Katihar).
RTI reply accepts Garam ghat as illegal
The revenue section of the Sahibganj district administration itself has accepted while responding to an RTI application in July 2021 that the Garam ghat is not a notified ghat. One Sanjay Kumar Yadav had sought a reply from the district administration. The petitioner had sought to know the name and location of the ghat from where the interstate (Sahibganj-Manihari) ferry was ordered by the administration. In the reply, Samda ghat circle in Sahibganj has been mentioned as the location. The reply categorically mentioned Samda ghat and Garam ghat.
The next question further clarifies it where the petitioner asks whether the district administration has given any permission to Sahibganj Nav Yatayat Sahyog Samiti Limited (SNYSSL) to ply the vessels from Garam ghat. The reply is no.
The district administration has further stated that Garam ghat is not a notified ghat under S.O. 315 dated 27 February 1979 published in Bihar Gazette, extraordinary number 202, dated February 27, 1979.
The written official version of the district administration leaves no doubt that the Garam ghat is illegally operated hence any transpiration from this ghat will be considered illegal.
Sahibganj Nav Yatayat Sahyog Samiti Limited (SNYSSL) runs ferry services on the river Ganga between Sahibganj and Katihar. It is authorized to operate between Samada ghat and Manihari ghat. But it operates service between Garam ghat and Khuti ghat.
When asked, Sahibganj district mining officer Bibhuti Kumar said that it was not his concern whether Garam ghat is illegal or legal. “I am busy with a task force meeting. A lot of rumour was spread about Garam ghat. But we did not find anything wrong. About the Garam ghat you should ask the Bihar government. My duty is to ensure that trucks carrying any kind of mine minerals have the mining challans,” he said.
When countered with the official position of the Sahibganj district administration declaring Garam ghat as illegal, Bibhuti Kumar did not reply. He also did not reply how the Bihar government and police are liable for illegality going on at the Garam ghat.
When contacted for clarification, the district magistrate of Katihar Udayan Mishra wondered whether the Bihar police and government have any jurisdiction over a ferry ghat in Jharkhand.
“The Garam ghat has never been a notified ghat. Hence the operation from this ghat is illegal. This time the Katihar district administration finalized the tender of the ferry service. But it doesn’t mean that we are answerable for any illegal operation. It is strange that we are made answerable,” he said.
The SDO and the district transport officer of Sahibganj did not respond to phone calls and WhatsApp messages.