State govt may seek exemption in future
SHILLONG: The Law department is examining the Supreme Court order allowing coal mining in Meghalaya with conditions and also whether the government still can ask for exemption from central mining laws by way of a presidential notification.
The state Assembly had passed a resolution seeking exemption from central mining laws under 12A (b) of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution as the President of India has the power to issue a notification for exemption.
An official with the mining and geology department said on Tuesday that since the miners will have to follow the central laws, mining guidelines will be issued in consultation with the law department.
“We want to educate people about the Supreme Court order and some sort of guidelines will be issued based on the order”, the official said.
Then official added that while the order of the Supreme Court will facilitate coal mining in the state under the relevant central laws, the issue of seeking exemption from mining laws under the provisions of Sixth Schedule is still open as the Supreme Court had not prevented the state from doing so.
“We can seek exemption from central mining laws at a later stage as the focus now should be on preparing mining plan to start mechanised mining”, the official said.
The mining and geology department has already asked Mineral Exploration Corporation Limited (MECL) to carry out exploration of mines in Meghalaya before starting mining activities.
The government has also engaged Central Mine Planning & Design Institute Limited (CMPDI) to work out suitable mining plan for Meghalaya miners.
Tunnel mining
The state government will also consult the CMPDI to find out various methods of mechanised mining suitable for Meghalaya.
Tunnel mining followed in foreign countries is one of the options before the government to replace the rat-hole coal mining since open cast mining is not suitable for the state.