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Illicit distilling; problems of land ownership and conflicting interests between Colliery and village |
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Sunday. Halted Borjan and finished off some cases. The place is riddled with stills and I should like the excise department to give the place their attention. The thana cannot do much as there are only an Assistant Sub Inspector and three constables. They are doing what they can, but all are known by sight, which makes it hard. If the Excise Department would send detectives with a letter to the Manager saying they have come for work he will give them plenty and aid them as much as possible. |
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The Manager wants another piece of Kongan land added to the area taken up for building. He wants it as a Bungalow site for his staff. He is willing to offer a part of the precipice, which neither he nor anyone else can use, but which falls into an area already taken up, in exchange. As however he wants the tila very badly, we ought to get back something worth having. He is also projecting a new pit right in the middle of the land between the colliery and the river. This will spoil another large area for jhuming. He could get at it underground by a rock road, he says, and so leave the surface untouched, but that would cost 3 lakhs as against one lakh for a telfer, so he will probably demand surface rights, though the other way would be more convenient. If it can be done the surface rights should be refused, but whether we can do this or not I am not sure. One of our difficulties is that the whole Colliery file has been lost since the cold weather of 1919-20, when it was taken out on tour in that direction by the Deputy Commissioner, since when it has never been heard of. |
