NGT, Apex Court to take time for coal verdict

SHILLONG: The local miners’ wait for a solution to the coal mining stalemate in Meghalaya may get longer.
While the National Green Tribunal (NGT) is yet to give any relief to coal miners in terms of carrying out mining, the issue of transportation of the already extracted coal is still pending with the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court in September last year had permitted transportation of extracted coal till May 31 this year.
Later, the Co-ordination Committee of Coal Owners, Miners and Dealers Forum (SCCCOMDF) sought the intervention of the Apex Court for extension of the deadline for six more months.
The quantity of coal that is yet to be transported will come around 8 lakh metric tonnes. Till date, the miners have exported 23 lakh metric tonnes.
However, the Supreme Court has not listed the matter for hearing, official sources said.
As far as the pending issue of lifting of the ban on coal mining is concerned, the coal owners and miners forum said during the hearing of the pending matter before NGT on Thursday, the forum had opposed the move of the state government to entrust MMDC to carry out mining by filing a counter affidavit before the NGT.
According to Balios Swer, media secretary, SCCCOMDF, NGT had put a direct question to the state government as to how, even after three-and-a-half years, when NGT had directed for preparing the guidelines of Mining Plans, the same is yet to be approved by the Coal and the Environment and Forest Ministries.
In this context, NGT has adjourned the matter for hearing again on September 1.