By Albert Thyrniang
In the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections scheduled for April 11 next, the ban on coal mining has taken centre-stage yet again. A ‘tu-tu main-main’ blame game has broken out between the two main rivals, the ruling NPP (plus allies) and the Opposition, Congress. The Congress blames the Conrad Sangma led MDA government for its failure to have the NGT’s ban lifted despite its promise to do so before last year’s Assembly election. In reply, NPP’s chief protagonist, Chief Minister, Conrad K. Sangma came out with all guns blazing alleging that it was the erstwhile Mukul Sangma-led Congress which never intentionally challenged the judgement of the Green Tribunal.
It is understandable that the proscribe coal mining activity is a burning issue for all political parties this election too. Politicians want us to believe that the coal ban has impacted the livelihoods of common people and caused revenue loss for the state. But the ulterior motive which has been exposed umpteen times is that those running the coal business (often referred to as the coal mafia) are politically connected. The shady reality is that coal barons, businessmen and owners fund political parties. There is a nexus between the coal barons and politicians. Top politicians in the state are themselves towering stakeholders in the industry. There is black money flowing from coal mines to politics.Coal controls Meghalaya politics.
All political parties impatiently crave for coal mining be made legal again. The BJP candidate, Sanbor Shullai goes to the extent of promising to lift the ban within a short time if he is sent to Delhi. He even boasts that had his party been voted to power in the last Assembly election, mining of the black diamond would have resumed by now. The NPP informs us that it is fighting the case in the Supreme Court and it will be able to convince NGT to revoke its 2014 ruling. The Congress too must be assuring voters to banish the ban in Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills and Garo Hills.
We must thank the All Dimasa Students’ Union for filing a PIL in the Supreme Court which led to rat- hole mining being banned on April 17, 2014. The ban is specifically on ‘rat-hole’ mining on two counts (a) because of the extensive damage to the environment (b) the unsafe and unregulated mining practice. Let citizens know that the ban was imposed by the Supreme Court and the Court alone can lift the ban. It is a legal and a highly technical matter. Politicians can’t just promise to re-start mining. They know it too well that it is next to impossible to satisfy the court to revoke its verdict. It is but a ‘jumla’ merely to secure votes.
For the NGT/Supreme Court it is very clear. A policy which will fully address the environmental concerns and the safety of miners is essential. Do political parties have a blue print, the implementation of which will have little impact on the environment? Do they have a master plan that will rule out deforestation? Do they have a comprehensive plan to free land, water and air from pollution? How do they guarantee that fish, animals and other organisms won’t be affected? If I were the NGT, I would also demand for reparations of the past. That is to say, an actionable plan to restore the environment to what it was before coal mining started in right earnest! The Supreme Court should see that the environment is first restored before entertaining any idea of lifting the current ban. An embargo of at least 15 years should be a pre-requisite condition before any concession is made for re-starting coal mining.
What about the mining technique itself? What is the stand of political parties on ‘rat-hole mining’? Will they propose to the Supreme Court to continue with the inhuman, unsafe and cruel practice? What will be the high safety norms to be strictly adhered to, to uncompromisingly guarantee the safety and dignity of miners? What will be the full-proof measures to be employed to eliminate any future accidents in the ‘death traps’? If the method of extracting coal from narrow horizontal tunnels of the height of 3-4 feet, thus literally turning human being into rats, is out-dated, dangerous and degrading, then what will be the alternative technique?
The only solution, pro-mining groups might say, is scientific mining. Even this proposal might not satisfy the court. Experts opine that scientific mining in the state is even more damaging to the environment. In places like Assam and Jharkhand, the coal seam is broader and is located vertically. But in Meghalaya the width of the coal seam runs horizontally measuring 2-3 feet. Hence while it is possible to extract a certain amount of coal within a kilometre, here one has to mine for several kilometres to get the equivalent amount. Therefore, scientific mining may not even be an option.
What do political parties have to say about regulation? Will the totally unregulated mining continue? Will private owners continue to have total control? Will political parties maintain in court that Meghalaya falls under the Sixth Schedule thus giving the sole rights and autonomy of the mineral to tribal owners? Or will our respected politicians acknowledge that a regulatory body has to exist? What will that monitoring body be? Will it be the state government or the district councils or the traditional institutions like the Syiemship and Nokmaship? Or will it be a combination of all these authorities? Since the NPP is already on the job, will it share with voters its proposal in the Supreme Court? The issue is complex. But for political candidates it is a straight forward matter. People of the state should not be fooled. Promising to lift the ban on coal mining in the state is a travesty that should not be believed.
It is unfortunate that politicians continue to battle for resumption of mining even after the Ksan tragedy where the miners’ bodies have not yet been located. This manifests their greed and exposes their unethical attitude of winning election by any means. It gives the impression that for them it does not matter if more Ksan tragedies take place.
The blame game on coal mining is to divert from real issues and responsibilities. The Congress candidate has been our representative for ten years. There is no report card on his achievements. We are told to go to websites to study his MPLADs’ utilisation. We know that there are discrepancies between records and the ground reality. No one investigates because MP schemes are allotted to opposition MLAs and MDCs as well. So, on what basis do we decide to re-elect our Shillong MP? On merit does he deserve to be re-elected as MP? Will an anti-BJP posture be the main reason for a third straight term? If the electorate decide to discard the old guard will a new parliamentarian be better? What is his vision and road map for his constituency and the country? Will the UDP and its candidate ride only on the vague and sentimental appeal of the ‘Jaitbynriew’? Will we have a new law maker just because the NPP is not in the fray?
In Tura the Congress candidate is former CM for eight years. If he had done his work well during his tenures why does he rely on punching the BJP/NPP? Why can’t he allow his developmental works to speak for themselves? Once again the NPP nominee is vying for the passport to the Lok Sabha. But does she merit another opportunity when her previous performance was pathetic? Records against her name are, attendance 49%, Private Member’s Bill zero, Parliamentary Debate zero and question asked zero. She vaguely claims that MDA has done more in one year than the UPA did in five years. Well, much was expected from this government at the start of its term. Policies on education, health, agriculture, and youth and of course, mining were readily promised during the pre and post government formation. After a year there is nothing to cheer about. What we have is an unknown education policy. Change in governance was anticipated but what we have is a government that is preoccupied with coal. Just like the failed Prime Minister at the centre, here we have a Chief Minister who only blames the previous government for all the ills of the state.
The discourse so far is quite bereft of real issues. Instead we have rhetoric, anti-BJP/NPP narrative and the much repeated blame game on coal ban.