Editor,
There has been a lot of hue and cry regarding the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ban on the extraction and transportation of coal with the Tribunal having extended the time for transportation of extracted coal till 30th June, 2015 on the demand of the State Government and other stakeholders. The Tribunal should act deliberately and decisively in this regard as the state is not in a position to deal with the negative externalities resulting from the transportation of coal. Rules are being flouted and institutional mechanisms set up in the state turn a blind eye. For instance, a major river in West Jaintia hills, Malidor is facing imminent risk due to dumping of unloaded coal by weighbridge officials in the region for carrying coal beyond the permissible limit. It has also been observed that truckers are resorting to unloading excess coal along the roadside up to the weigh bridge. There have also been increasing incidents of dumping and stockpiling of coal on the road side along the National Highway 40, Shillong Bye-Pass Road in Ri Bhoi district. A 2004 report published by the Centre for Environmental Studies, North-Eastern Hill University indicated that roadside dumping has been a major contributor to air, water and soil pollution.
Pollution control measures stipulated by the Central Pollution Control Board such as covering the trucks with tarpaulin, creating a sprinkler system at coal storage places to minimize coal dust and ensuring that trucks are not overloaded to prevent any spillage during transportation are not being followed. This is a glaring violation of environmental norms. The report also iterates that the off road movement of trucks and other vehicles, in the region for coal transportation adds to the ecological and environmental damage of the region. The water quality as a result of such activities have become hazardous and toxic and have been severely affected by acid mine drainage the source of which is the leaching of heavy metals and coal siltation. As per the findings by a Committee constituted by the
NGT in its order dated June 9, 2014, it was observed that the pH of mine drainage was found to be less than 3, in the case of all the 21 samples that were analyzed indicating a high acidity level. As a result, most of the water bodies in the coal mining belt have high concentration of sulphates, iron, low dissolved oxygen (DO) and high BOD and toxic heavy metals. The acidic content in the water is also affecting the soil quality, making it rich in inorganic content and therefore affecting the crop yield and low agricultural activity as witnessed in Jaintia hills.
With the State facing shortage of potable drinking water and a host of health problems due to water contamination by acid mine drainage, it cannot afford to take these issues lightly. The state government should expedite serious steps in cleaning up the water bodies by engaging with the scientific community and academia and looking at the experiences of land reclamation and land restoration practices undertaken by Coal India Limited in its subsidiaries. With the failure of the state to frame the mining policy, mining plan and guidelines as directed under the orders of the Tribunal and its failure to keep a check on illegal mining activities, the NGT should clamp down on the state and enforce a ban on mining as well as a ban on the transportation of coal until the State take explicit and corrective measures such as restoration and reclamation of mined sites so as to enhance and restore the ecology and mitigate environmental degradation. The NGT needs to step up and enforce stricter compliance of environmental norms in the interest of the general public so as to ensure a more sustainable future as well as mitigate climate change impacts.
Yours etc., ,
Jonathan Donald Syiemlieh (Research Associate), Centre for Resource and Environmental Governance
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi.
Wanted selfless leaders!
Editor,
Balajied Kharshandi’s letter “Long live our leaders,” is very disquieting. To start with, the writer said that he was happy and takes great pride in the fact that “Daniel Khyriem and other pro-ILP group leaders will be acquitted of all their crimes.” At least one thing is established by the writer and that is that the above leaders did commit crimes. Thus they are criminals in the eyes of the law and must be dealt with as criminals. The law must take its course and bring justice to the innocent victims and their families. For decades now we have witnessed the way these pressure groups have taken the law into their hands on the pretext of saving “ka jaitbynriew”. While their demands have only increased, the truth remains that they are yet to achieve any of their demands. Instead their agitation programmes that include criminal acts have always subsided after a short span of time.
The writer must be really naive to think that the leaders work “without wanting power, money, fame or pleasure.” We have seen how leaders of such pressure groups climb the ladder of power and wealth in the political arena. To simply say that they have no personal benefits or craving is untrue. If their concern is really “the benefit of the poor and the downtrodden then why not target issues that concern the poor. If they are really the “saviours of the jaitbynriew” then why not be more sensitive and fight for causes like child labour (many young boys can be seen selling kwai on their little baskets instead of studying in a school), our old and aged are seen trying to make ends meet, health care is poor, education and unemployment is coal mining, scams and a whole lot of other crucial issues that do not bother these selfless groups. Why not “work day and night” on such issues?
One wonders if “simple living, honesty, courage, humility, wisdom, hard work and purity” do really define the leaders of the pressure groups. One wonders if parents and elders would ever look up to these leaders of pressure groups as the most befitting examples and role models for their children. Certainly arson, killing, etc are no acts of heroism that we would like our children to emulate. A crime is a crime and there is nothing holy and unholy about it (arson, killing, etc) I believe that if we only follow the path of righteousness and have a clean, honest and humble heart, and the courage to love and respect our fellow human beings irrespective of our caste, creed, colour and religion this world will be a better and happier place to live in. If only we can let go of all our inhibitions, suspicion and fear, life on earth would not be a living hell but a safe haven of peace, progress and prosperity.
Yours etc.,
Jennifer Dkhar,
Via email