SHILLONG: The independent committee headed by Justice BP Katoki, a former judge of the Gauhati High Court, has taken the assistance of North East Space Application Centre (NESAC) for satellite images to ascertain the nature of coal mines.
Katoki, who was appointed by the NGT on August 31, said as per the data from undivided Jaintia Hills, there are around 24,000 coal mines in Jaintia Hills.
The retired judge said the satellite data from NESAC will be a great help to the commission for preparing the report to be submitted to the NGT.
Data of trucks seized
Katoki also asked the SPs and DCs of the concerned districts to submit the list of coal-laden trucks seized.
Katoki said after his last visit to coal mining areas in Jaintia Hills, he had asked for the list of trucks seized by the police for illegally carrying coal.
The retired judge also wanted to know the exact quantity of coal transported and the balance stock.
He had suggested that the government create awareness among miners about the adverse impact of illegal coal mining.
During the last visit to Jaintia Hills, he had found coal which appeared to have been freshly dug though a proper testing is required to ascertain the fact.
He also pointed out that water in the coal mining areas is still acidic and suggested the government to take remedial measures.
The mandate of the NGT appointed committee is to deal with restoration of the environment and rehabilitation of victims for which funds are available.
The NGT committee will also supervise any issue arising out of custodianship of the already extracted coal, including any environmental issues which may arise out of storage of the extracted material by the government.
The state government is currently the custodian of the available extracted coal.
