SHILLONG: The blame game between the Opposition and ruling coalition in Meghalaya over the ban on coal mining in the state year continues.
The Leader of opposition, Mukul Sangma has accused the NPP-led MDA Government of lying to the people over the issue of ban on coal mining.
Speaking to media persons here on Tuesday, Mukul Sangma, said that the BJP and NPP engaged in lies to get votes and even after forming the Government, they are lying to the people of the state.
“I will have to find a university for them which can provide honorary degree on the master of lies to them,” Sangma said while adding that the Chief Minister has not done his homework on the issue of coal mining and it seems that he has not studied the file despite being in power for almost a year.
Stating that the Chief Minister is completely devoid of the knowledge of what has happened in the preceding years to regulate the coal mining activities in Meghalaya, he added that there were statutory laws to regulate mining provided it conformed to take care of the environment, health and safety of the miners.
“If we want to continue coal mining, we must bring all the coal mining activities under regulation as far as provisions of statutory laws are concern,” he said.
Sangma maintained that it was in 1970s when the Union Government had communicated to Meghalaya Government that it had no intention to ban coal mining activities based on traditional and customary laws but the activities shall conform to the statutory laws in respect of environment, health and safety
Lamenting that there was no follow up on the communication, he added that the Government in the year 2010 stated the process of framing the mineral development and regulation policy, 2012 but then there was resistance to the policy.
He recalled that the State Government later asked the Union Government to exempt Meghalaya from coal Mines Nationalization Act and the Mines and Minerals Development Act to facilitate regulated coal mining in the state.
According to Sangma, the former Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh had even formed a committee headed by Cabinet Secretary and the Committee gave a view in favour of the proposal of the state Government .
He, however, added that the engagement has to be followed up to enable the president to issue the presidential notification as per the para 12 a b of the constitution to exempt Meghalaya from the two acts and the responsibility lied with the Ministry of Home Affairs and they came with excuses.
He said that the Government took up the matter with the Union Government besides giving another proposal that state’s own nodal agency , Meghalaya Mineral Development Corporation Ltd (MMDC) can facilitate mining as there is a provision that Union Government can give mining lease to any company owned by the State Government but the then opposition including BJP and NPP played politics and alleged that the Government was trying to take away their mines