SHILLONG: Coal mining issue, internal problems in NEIGRIHMS besides plan of some Congress legislators to move out of the party dominated 2019.
Ever since the new government came into existence in the state, there have been countless allegations about rampant coal mining and its transportation in the state.
After all the claims and counter-claims, the Supreme Court this year finally lifted the ban on coal mining with a rider that it should be done as per the MMDR Act.
The court also said that the extracted coal should be auctioned through Coal India Ltd for which work is still going on. However, the biggest setback came when NGT chairman BP Katakey resigned from the NGT panel. Though he cited personal reasons for resigning, sources attributed his action to the government’s alleged non-cooperative attitude towards the panel in sharing information about the coal stock and other details.
Recently, East Jaintia Hills police also seized close to a hundred unclaimed coal-laden trucks in a clear indication that attempts are on to illegally transport coal in defiance of the Supreme Court restrictions. Even, the CAG report had rapped the Meghalaya government over its inability to check illegal extraction and transportation of coal even after the order of the NGT in 2014.
The CAG report of March 31, 2018 tabled in the Assembly had said during the assessment of available extracted coal in September 2014, it was found that against the declaration made by the miners, a large number of coal owners had made false declarations.
NEIGRIHMS imbroglio
The year also saw a bout of turmoil in NEIGRIHMS with the Governing Council going to the extent of giving the marching orders to the Director Dr DM Thappa following a series of allegations and agitations in the premier hospital of the region.
Charges leveled against him included not calling a single meeting of the Council.
A confidential note reportedly circulated in the meeting of the Council said that high-handedness and dictatorial attitude of the Director had cost the institute dearly with dedicated faculty leaving the institute.
The row came over differences between the Director and the head of the Cardiology department, Dr Animesh Mishra. The Meghalaya government for long had been demanding the director’s removal.
Several NGOs, including the Khasi Students Union, had dashed off a letter to the Union Health Ministry asking the central government to remove Thappa.
The institute had witnessed an ugly episode when Thappa and Cardiology department engaged in a tussle over the supply of stents and other equipment in the department.
A patient also died as the tussle between the Director and the department continued for a week and the matter was finally resolved after the High Court of Meghalaya intervened.
Eyeing greener pastures
The Opposition Congress had its share of hiccups during the year with talk of some legislators planning to leave the party coming up now and then.
The reports were brushed aside as mere figment of the imagination, but these did indicate all was not hunky dory in the grand old party’s state unit after a spate of dismal outing at the hustings.
With a day left for the year to end, however, the party has remained intact and the move of some MLAs to desert the party was dampened following the issues related to CAA in the context of protest against NPP MP Agatha Sangma who supported the bill.
