GUWAHATI: Days after Meghalaya High Court’s observation that illegal mining and transportation of coal cannot be checked in the state with the present machinery, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Monday said scientific coal mining would begin in two months.
Sangma, who is also the national president of the National People’s Party (NPP), said the Centre has cleared the decks for scientific mining by approving the mining lease of four miners.
“The NPP is working tirelessly to open up mining. We had filed a case in 2019 and later, the Supreme Court lifted the ban on mining enforced by the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The Supreme Court had asked the government of India and the government of Meghalaya to work on different mining plans and lease for scientific mining,” Sangma said.
“Government of India has finally approved the mining lease of four miners. The government of India and government of Meghalaya are in the process of doing the final paperwork for scientific mining. It will start within a matter of 60 days,” he added.
The NGT had enforced a ban on rat-hole coal mining in 2014 after a series of coal mine tragedies in Meghalaya over the years. The SC had upheld the ban. There are still allegations about rampant illegal coal mining but the Sangma government has always dismissed the charges and demanded proof. Earlier this month, the High Court had said a central force – and not the police – could help curb illegal mining in the state.
“Since the local police force, under the state government, has been completely ineffective or unwilling to control the malaise or implement the SC orders, which they are duty-bound to do, it is appropriate that an external police force may be deployed for checking the illegal transportation of illegally-mined coal in the state,” the court had said.
It had directed the Centre to ensure the deployment of 10 companies of “appropriate” Central Armed Police Force, strictly for the purpose of keeping vigil on the roads and arresting the illegal transportation of illegally-mined coal in the state. “If the rule of law is to be asserted, it cannot be done with the present machinery available in the state,” the court had further said.