SHILLONG: As the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed Meghalaya Government to pay a whopping Rs 100 crore a compensation for failing to curb illegal coal mining in the state, the state government is now contemplating to appeal against the order
Talking to newsmen here on Monday, Meghalaya Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma said that the legal department was examining the recent order of the NGT
According to Sangma, the order says that the amount needs to be collected from the miners and others areas and the government is examining the order
He said that the government was exploring the options available before it and would also try to appeal before the Supreme Court and the NGT to reconsider the order
Stating that the state government is working aggressively to legalise the coal mining in the state, he, however, reiterated that the government would not allow illegal mining and close to over 1000 cases have been registered by the State Government against the individuals and groups who were indulging in illegal coal mining
According to Sangma, the Government has asked the respective District Administrations to take stern action against illegal coal mining
When asked about the rampant illegal coal mining going on in the state, the Chief Minister said that the Government from its side never allowed illegal mining and whenever the government receives information about illegal activities, it immediately acts against such activities
Responding to a query about the recovery of dead bodies of two people from a coal quarry, he said that it was not right to connect their deaths to coal mining since investigation was still on into the matter.
When asked about the ineffectiveness of the East Jaintia Hills District Administration to curb large scale illegal mining, the Chief Minister defended the DC and SP saying the administration was working in quite tough situation and it was not an easy task to detect illegal coal mining activities in far flung and distant areas.
