JOWAI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has offered partial relief to coalmine owners in Meghalaya by allowing them to transport the extracted and assessed coal lying in their respective coal depots.
Publicity Secretary of the State Coordination Committee of Coal Owners’, Miners’ and Dealers’ Forum, Balios Swer, informed that the NGT State Committee headed by the Chief Secretary and the Principal Secretary, Directorate of Mineral Resources, has decided to allow transportation of coal from Meghalaya to Beltola in Assam.
“The NGT State Committee is yet to take a decision on transportation of the extracted coal to other parts of Assam including Karimganj, Panchgram and to Bangladesh,” Swer said, adding that the government had issued an order in this regard on Wednesday last.
According to Swer, the weighing of the loaded coal shall be conducted only at the Weighbridge of the Transport department at Umling until the completion of the online weighing machines at each exit point.
Meanwhile, the ban will continue prohibiting unscientific, unregulated, impressible rat-hole coal mining in Meghalaya, said Swer while quoting the order of the NGT State Committee.
Swer, further, requested all coalmine owners to meet officials of the Directorate of Mineral Resources and the Sales Tax department and pay the royalty in three equal installments.
The court has also fixed the next hearing on the matter on December 8 and 9.