H H Mohrmen
The state government’s consistent denial that there is no coal mining activity in the state and the Chief Minister’s statements that no coal was transported from the state in contravention of the National Green Tribunal order has earned the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance a new name. Amongst the critics of the government and those who care for the environment, MDA is now renamed as the Mining Denial Alliance.
The truth is the government cannot deny the fact that coal is being extracted because fresh coal can be seen collected at the different stock yards in coal mining areas all over the state. There is nothing to hide; it is there for everyone who visits the different mining areas to see. The government may argue that the coal in the depots across the state are those remaining from the extracted coal already assessed in 2014 post NGT ban, but is that a convincing argument?
It is beyond one’s comprehension as to why the coalmine owners and dealers did not completely transport the extracted coal when the NGT opened the last window few years ago? What was the reason for not transporting all the coal when the opportunity was given to them? But the biggest mystery is how come even after four years have lapsed and many opportunities were given to transport the extracted coal, the mineral is yet to be completely transported.
The other question is : where was the extracted coal stocked, because all coal was cleared from all the stockyards the last time NGT allowed transportation of the same. And the most important question for the government is whether the coal is really old and has been stockpiled for more than four years now or is it fresh coal? Certainly one does not need to be a scientist to see the difference between the two as the truth will be obvious even to the naked eyes.
The argument that there is no illegal mining activity and no transportation of coal from the coal mine areas is frivolous and misleading because the truth is that transportation of the same is happening almost on a daily basis. This is obvious from the reports we see in the press that police and magistrates impound trucks carrying coal on a regular basis. So the government’s denial is not convincing. The other pertinent question is what happened to the coal confiscated by the government agencies and also what happened to the trucks? Is the action stage-managed just to feed the media and the same trucks are allowed to proceed onwards to their destination with little or no punitive action?
The truth is that coal being transported to Guwahati during the night using National Highway 44 and the modus-operandi is known to all. The coal transporters themselves claim that they spend fifty to sixty thousand rupees to pay the police for transportation of one truck of coal. This was confirmed by a complaint lodged with the DCs and the police chief which was recently reported in the media in which it was alleged that the police give undue favour to the trucks owned by relatives of people in power. These are all news report carried by the press which only contradict the government statements.
There are also coal trucks which use the Nartiang or Tyrchang road via Bamkamar to Khyndewso Ri Bhoi District to transport coal to Guwahati in spite of this road being a state road and is not meant for plying of heavy vehicles. But some part of coal is also transported to Assam via Malidor on the National Highway to Silchar. Until November 10, the Saturday after the two female activists were attacked, there were hundreds of coal trucks parked on this part of the highway from Ratacherra to Malidor en route to Assam.
One also wonders how these trucks managed to escape the many check points that the police operates throughout this portion of the National highway. The district has the maximum numbers of police checkpoints on the national highway within its jurisdiction and the first one is immediately on entering the District in the Tuber area. The second check point is in the Myndihati area and the next is the Lumchnong dacoity camp followed by another at Umkiang and the last one at Ratacherra.
How the transportation of coal happen on the national highway without the knowledge of the police or the government is another pertinent question. So the question that follows is whether the illegal activities happen just at the police level? Or is it true that the higher authorities in the government are also in the know about the transportation of coal from the state?
But the extremely serious question is whether the government under the leadership of NPP is encouraging the people to break the law! The government surely would read the report in the media about the illegal activities yet chooses to do nothing or rather deny that it is happening. If the government continues to look the other way when mining and transportation of coal is happening then what message is it trying to send to the world and particularly to the younger generation of this state? That it is alright to break the law with impunity?
One expects that this government under the leadership of a young educated and suave leader would respect the law and go by the book to ensure that the environment is protected, but that is not what we see happening here. The government is turning a blind eye to the activity and doing something else, whereas the Chief Minister is saying something else. As such this government is no different from the previous MUA II government which chose to do nothing to address this very important issue.
We all expected this government to be different and to come up with a policy to monitor mining activities in the state to convince the court to allow mining, but like its predecessor, the MDA government is also doing nothing to that effect. The event should have been an opportunity for the government to come up with scientific solutions which could be win-win solution for both the mining community as well as in upholding its duty to protect the environment, but unfortunately the MDA has done nothing of the sort. Rather than coming up with the required document the government is instead trying to twist its way and continue with the same kind of mining which only harms the environment.
If the government continues with this hanky-panky way of dealing with the mining issue then MDA will not only be renamed as the Mining Denial Alliance, but people will even change the full form of the party which is leading the government, from the National People’s Party to the No Principle Party. The reason is because the public does not really know what the government’s stand is vis-à-vis mining. People want to know whether the government wants to continue mining without any regulations and monitoring or it wants to start sustainable mining and ensure that the environment is also protected.
If the government’s choice is the latter then it will have to come up with rules and regulation to control and monitor mining in the state. The ball is in the government’s court. Does it really want to continue to be a democratic alliance which takes into consideration the welfare of all the citizens of the state including the future generation, or it will continue to be on a denial mode? We wait and watch!