‘MDA misled Centre’

SHILLONG, Feb 14: The state BJP has blamed the NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance of misleading the NDA government at the Centre and the Union Minister for Coal, Prahlad Joshi on the issue of illegal coal mining and transportation.
“The government misled Joshi and we are upset about it. I blame the state government for not giving him correct information,” state BJP president Ernest Mawrie told The Shillong Times.
Stating that illegal coal mining and transportation is rampant and is an open secret, he said: “I have already apprised the Centre and the party discussed the matter. We will send detailed information to the minister directly.”
The state BJP president also made it clear that they will continue to raise the issue of corruption and illegal coal mining and transportation.
In a reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha by BJP elder Rakesh Sinha, Joshi said that the Meghalaya government used the MMDR Act of 2019 to stop any illegal coal mining. He did not reply to Sinha’s pointed question on whether coal mining was continuing in Meghalaya despite a ban by the National Green Tribunal in April 2014.
Sinha was told that the state government had taken steps such as forming a task force and joint patrolling of police and mining officials at different locations.
The Union Minister did not provide any specific reply to a question on loss of revenue or collusion of cement and thermal power companies in clandestine mining operations.