SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Government will submit its reply to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to introduce scientific mining in the State only after examining the various measures which are required to be taken by the State in accordance with the ruling of NGT to ban rat hole mining in Jaintia Hills, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said after a meeting of the State Cabinet in Shillong on Friday.
The State Government at the same time had decided to form a committee to prepare a comprehensive report on the measures initiated by it for scientific mining to be placed before the NGT, he said.
“The committee to be headed by Additional Chief Secretary KS Kropha will guide all the concerned departments to come up with a comprehensive rule which is required to be completed as expeditiously as possible and place it before NGT,” Sangma informed.
The NGT in its order passed on April 17 had also directed the State Chief Secretary and Director General of Police to ensure that rat hole mining/ illegal mining was stopped ‘forthwith’ throughout the State and illegal transport of coal did not take place.
The order came after the All Dimasa Students’ Union and Dima Hasao District Committee of Assam moved the Tribunal on April 2, stating that illegal rat hole mining in Jaintia Hills was polluting the Kopili River in neighbouring Assam and turning its water acidic.
The NGT had also observed in its order that only coal mafias had been benefitting from such mining activities.
Sangma said that various other measures which were required to be taken by the Government in compliance with the NGT ruling could be examined and Government could prepare its stand.
According to the Chief Minister, the important point was that the Government has initiated various measures to actually implement the Mining Policy which had been notified in 2012.
“And this Policy was basically to facilitate scientific mining in the State which is in conformity to the various requirements of statutory rules. Now, there is absence of actual implementation of this Policy in the field,” Sangma said.
Stating that the implementation of the Policy was yet to take off in the ground, he said that nevertheless the concerned departments had already been working on framing of various rules in line with the Mining Policy.
“In fact, a lot of work has been done. What is required to be done today is basically to look at how we place all those measures already initiated by the concerned department to give effect to the objective of having scientific mining conforming to various statutory rules available in the country,” the Chief Minister said.
Refusing to comment on whether mining in Jaintia Hills was illegal or not, Sangma said, “I will not respond to that because of historical reasons. Mining activities in Meghalaya are happening due to political decision from time immemorial.”