By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The long-delayed State Mining Policy is likely to see the light of the day with the State Government asserting that the Policy would be tabled in the Assembly during the upcoming Budget session which is scheduled to start from March 9.
“We are planning to table the Mining Policy in this coming Budget Session. The final draft of the policy is presently with the Cabinet. I am hopeful that the Cabinet would approve the policy in the next meeting before tabling it in the Assembly,” Deputy Chief Minister Bindo Mathew Lanong, also in charge of the Mining and Geology department said.
While admitting that the process of formulating the policy had taken much time, Lanong, said that he was satisfied with the way the final draft of the policy has shaped up following the detailed and exhaustive exercise.
Lanong further informed that the Government has already incorporated the views and suggestions of the concerned stakeholders in the final draft of the Mining Policy.
The drafting of the Mining Policy involved a thorough study and consultation with all the relevant departments like the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Pollution Control Board and also incorporated views of the stakeholders including various NGOs.
It may be reminded that the final draft of the policy was proposed to be submitted to the State Government in July last year but due to opposition from coal miners and limestone miners of the State under the umbrella of the Joint Forum on Mining Policy (Coal and Limestone), the submission had been delayed.