By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The Gauhati High Court has imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on the State Government for failing to take tangible steps in the matters pertaining to framing of Mining policy.
Hearing the petition filed by prominent lawyer Siddharth Dey on behalf of the five citizens from Jaintia Hills on Monday, a division bench of Chief Justice AK Goel and Justice NK Singh decided to impose the fine after it did not get a satisfactory reply from Additional Advocate General BP Todi.
The court directed the government to deposit the fine with the Meghalaya State Legal Services Authority (MSLSA).
The court also asked Chief Secretary WMS Pariat to submit a report on the steps taken by the Government to implement the mining policy in the next hearing to be held on November 30.
Earlier, in his submission, Todi informed the court that the Government had taken several steps to ensure that the mining policy was put in place at the earliest.
He also informed that the Government formed a Cabinet sub-committee to study the pros and cons of the final draft of the mining policy.
Unhappy with the reply, the two judges observed that four months had passed since the court issued a directive to take immediate steps for introduction of the mining policy to regulate mining activities in the State.
“The Government has failed to take cognizance of the directive given by the court. This attitude on the part of the Government is an act of disrespect to the court,” the court said.
The court also took note of rampant unscientific coal mining prevalent not only in Jaintia Hills but across the State.
The court said having a mining policy is more relevant considering the rampant unscientific mining prevalent in the State.
The five concerned citizens had filed the petition with reference to the ongoing unscientific coal mining in a village near Khliehriat, Jaintia Hills by illegally blasting the coal mines with the dynamites.
In the petition, they also expressed concern over unscientific mining which led to the rapid depletion of the environment besides polluting several water bodies.
Earlier in March, the Division bench of the Gauhati High Court had imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the State Government for failing to put in place a Mining Policy despite the Supreme Court directive dating a few years.
The PIL filed by four people was brought before the division bench of the High Court and the court expressed its dissatisfaction with the tardy progress of the State Government on the policy.