SHILLONG: The State Government will appeal to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to withdraw its recent order banning rat hole mining in Meghalaya.
Informing this here on Tuesday, Forest and Environment minister Prestone Tynsong said that the appeal would be made during the next hearing scheduled for May 19.
Stating that the Mining and Geology department is preparing necessary documents to appeal before the NGT, he observed that the Government could regulate mining activities once mining policy is in place.
He reiterated that Government wanted to take into confidence all the stakeholders before regulating mining activities in the state.
Rat-hole mining is a primitive method that entails ) clearing ground vegetation and digging pits ranging from five to 100 square metres to reach the coal seams.
Admitting that there were issues of safety, environmental degradation associated with rat hole mining, he said the ban would affect livelihood of many people who were earning their bread and butter by working in coal mines.
Meanwhile, Jaintia Hills Coal Miners and Dealers Association (JHCM&DA) president
Balios Swer has said that the association had already met to deliberate on this latest order of the NGT.
“We are still not very clear about the content of the order. But we hope that the Government take an appropriate action keeping in mind the interest of the coal exporters and miners,” Swer said.
The NGT, while acting on an application filed by All Dimasa Students’ Union, Dima Hasao District Committee, last week passed an interim order where it stayed rat hole mining in Jaintia Hills.
The All Dimasa Students’ Union, DimaHasao District Committee had contended that water bodies were severely contaminated in the downstream areas of Assam due to acid mine discharge from the mining areas in Jaintia Hills located in the upstream.