GUWAHATI: The High Court of Meghalaya has given a week to the state government to report coal inventory lying by the roadside and dumps in the coal-rich state.
The direction comes amid allegations that coal is being extracted despite a ban on it by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) as well as the Supreme Court. The coal traders allegedly continued with the business under the ruse that they are transporting coal that was mined before 2016.
The state government said it has no idea about the exact quantities of coal mined before 2016 which has to be disposed of. An interim report of a court-constituted committee, headed by Justice (retd) BP Katakey, said the previously-mined (till 2016) coal “is lying as per NGT inventory” by the sides of public roads at 24 places. The state’s Advocate General Amit Kumar submitted that the previously-mined coal may be lying in dumps which could be 1,500 or more.
The full bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justices W Diengdoh and HS Thangkhiew said measuring coal lying by the roadside may not require any rocket science technology.
The court directed the state government to measure the coal – if required with the help of Coal India Limited (CIL) – at each of the sites within a week.
“Whatever be the number of dumps, the State has to stand by the particulars furnished before Justice Katakey…It is imperative that the coal lying at such places be disposed of in accordance with law and upon following the pollution control measures pertaining thereto as expeditiously as possible,” the court ordered.
The court sniffed a “game” being played out where the government expects the CIL to carry out the measurements but the latter says it has formed a committee but has not indicated to the court how the measurement work is being undertaken.
Coal mining is a lucrative business in Meghalaya. The state has scores of coal mines, many of them are allegedly owned by influential people, including politicians.
The state government invariably denies any coal mining activities but there have been several incidents of coal mine tragedies claiming human lives since the NGT enforced the ban in 2014. In the latest tragedy a few days ago, a labourer died while another was injured in a coal mine mishap.