NESAC maps mining areas, to submit report soon
SHILLONG: The North Eastern Space Application Centre (NESAC) is generating maps and necessary information about certain areas in the state where illegal coal mining is allegedly taking place with the aid of satellites.
Informing this here on Saturday, NESAC Director PLN Raju said that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) wanted NESAC to provide the maps of the areas of coal mining and it has taken up the task along with the Mining department in Meghalaya.
“We are generating those inputs and we will soon submit our findings to the NGT,” he said while adding that the NESAC has acquired whatever data was required about the coal mining areas in the state.
“We have acquired the data and we are now analysing it after which the report will be submitted to the NGT,” he said while informing that mining areas in the state are being monitored by NESAC and the Mining department since the past 5-6 months.
Maintaining that the NESAC has no information as to which is a legal and which is an illegal coal mine in the state, he informed that when a person tries to extract coal from a mine, they have to open up the surface and once they generate the area for mining, the area is visible in the satellite.
Citing an example, he said that the ban on coal mining came into force in 2014 and in the areas where there was no mine, but now a fresh mine has come up, it will be captured by the satellite. “If some fresh areas after 2014 appear as black patches on satellites rather than vegetation, it indicates that coal mining did take place there,” he added.
The monitoring of coal mining through satellites assumes significance as time and again allegations of illegal coal mining continuing in the state despite the NGT ban has put the government on the back foot.
While there have been countless instances when trucks carrying illegal coal were detected in the state, the state government while reiterating its commitment to take action against illegal extraction and transportation have always maintained that it is a difficult task for them to keep a tab on each and every illegal coal mine in the state.