SHILLONG: The entire e-auctioning of the two lakh metric tonnes of coal will be done by Metal Scrap and Trading Corporation Limited (MSTC).
Informing this here on Tuesday, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said that the process will start soon.
It may be mentioned that MSTC (formerly known as Metal Scrap Trade Corporation Limited) is an Indian state-owned e-commerce company based in Kolkata and renders service to various e-commerce sectors, including e-auction.
The chief minister further informed that the state government had prepared the proposal and submitted to National Green Tribunal (NGT), but it could not be approved as the meeting with the tribunal could not be held.
“In two-three sittings with the NGT, the tendering process was cleared”, he said.
Earlier, the chief minister had informed that the NGT committee had approved auction of two lakh metric tonnes of coal out of the extracted and assessed 32 lakh metric tonnes on a pilot basis.
Last year, the Supreme Court had paved the way for operationalising coal mining in the state under the relevant statutory framework of the Mine and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act. The NGT had banned mining of coal in the state in 2014.
It is learnt that for transportation of the auctioned coal, temporary depots will be set up where strict environmental norms will be followed.
