‘Need to educate coal miners on impact of rat-hole mining’

SHILLONG, Feb 21: National People’s Party (NPP) state president, Wanwei Roy Kharlukhi has advocated the need to engage with stakeholders, primarily coal exporters and miners, on the negative impact of rat-hole coal mining in the state.
“Personally, I am of the view that we need to create awareness among the stakeholders to help them realize the impact of rat-hole coal mining. We need to understand how people have suffered following the ban on coal mining by the National Green Tribunal. However, people in the state have been engaged in rat-hole coal mining for decades. You cannot change their mindset in one day,” the Rajya Sabha member said.
He also expressed strong reservations over the use of the word ‘coal baron’ in reference to people involved in coal mining in Jaintia Hills.
“The people who we are referring to as ‘coal barons’ do not even understand this term. Most of them are not educated since their parents could not afford to send them to schools. It is only because of the coal that they have become rich. Just because they have become rich, you cannot start calling them coal barons,” the NPP state president said.
Pointing out that people of Jaintia Hills were initially very poor, Kharlukhi said it was only after the mining of coal in the area that the economy of Jaintia Hills began to change for the better.
Defending the NPP-led MDA government for its continuous denial of illegal coal mining despite incidents like the death of labourers inside the mines, he said that it was impossible for the state government to detect illegal coal mining activities.
Referring to the death of six labourers at a coal pit
in Rymbai Elaka of East Jaintia Hills, Kharlukhi said, “The state government became aware of the illegal mining activity only after the incident took place. The government is ascertaining the details. Those who are involved will be punished.”
Taking a jibe at former chief minister and Leader of Opposition, Mukul Sangma, he said that he (Mukul) made a lot of noise about the illegal coal mining when he had inspected the coal depot in Garo Hills and Jaintia Hills region.
“If he (Mukul) feels that there is illegal coal mining, then he should file an FIR. It is just a political stunt,” Kharlukhi added.