Jaintia forum wants JHADC to appeal against coal verdict

JOWAI: The Jaintia Hills Amalagamation and Redressal Forum (JARF) on Thursday held a meeting with JHADC chief Thombor Shiwat and submitted a memorandum requesting the Executive Committee led by him to file a petition in the Supreme Court on the coal issue.
The petition would seek reconsideration of the verdict passed by the apex court with regard to coal mining particularly the effectiveness of the MMDR Act in the state. The forum stated that it has been against the implementation of the MMDR Act in the state.
In this regard, it had decided to raise the issue with the JHADC chief including Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and his cabinet ministers in a public meeting at Tuber-Shohshrieh on November 9.
The forum apprised the JHADC CEM that crimes and illegal activities have risen in both East and West Jaintia Hills since 2014 immediately following the NGT-imposed ban on coal mining and transportation.
“There are so many students who have had to return back home due to the NGT ban on coal mining. Companies and financial institutions are now running after mine owners who have become defaulters for not being able to pay back their loans due to the NGT ban,” said JARF chairman Helping Phawa.
“The inclusion of Meghalaya under the MMDR Act, Mine Act and various other acts in the last five years have badly affected the state socially and economically, said Phawa while speaking to this correspondent outside the JHADC chief’s chamber.