SHILLONG: The Meghalaya State Co-ordination Committee of the Coal Owners, Miners, Exporters, Transporters & Dealer’s Forum has criticised Chief Minister Conrad Sangma for the delay in resuming coal mining in the state.
Expressing resentment over lack of initiative by the government in resuming coal mining activities in the state, the Forum said that they had on October 17 last year called on the chief minister to apprise him on the need to explore possibilities in line with the direction of the Supreme Court to revive coal mining activities at the earliest.
The Forum recalled that in the meeting, the chief minister made a proposal for the formation of a consultative committee to draw a roadmap on the new method of coal mining, to conduct workshops all over the state so as to create public awareness and to educate the mostly naive coal miners about the new means of coal mining and to ascertain their views as a way out to address the pertinent issue.
Following the last meeting, the Forum had urged the chief minister to pursue the matter since November 12 last year but the coal dealers’ body is yet to get any response from him.
“We wish to remind the chief minister that we are not only the movers of the state economy but we also contribute major revenue to the state and the country’s treasury”, the Forum said.
The Forum also pointed out that the chief minister should accord priority to the matter.
