SHILLONG, March 16: The state government will now utilise the Meghalaya Environment Protection and Restoration Fund (MEPRF) to control unscientific coal mining under the supervision of an oversight committee of 12 members formed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
The panel will be headed by the additional secretary of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
While hearing a matter related to remedial action against unscientific rat-hole coal mining in the state, a bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, said under the public trust doctrine, the state authorities were bound to work for protection of scarce natural resources, the environment and public health. The bench observed that illegal coal mining was rampant in the state despite imposing bans.
The NGT said since monitoring by it cannot continue forever, the task needs to be taken over by the executive authorities.
Regional representative
“The regional officer of the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change in Shillong will be the member secretary of the committee to coordinate and deal with day-to-day issues as per decisions of the committee.
“The committee may meet within one month, take stock of situation and plan future course of action. Its task will be to take forward compliance of judgment of the Supreme Court and further orders of this Tribunal for preventing unscientific and unregulated mining, handling the already mined material and all other incidental issues,” the bench said.
Former panel dismissed
“There has to be a closure at some point. The judicial system has to wrap up with specific directions. In this case, the NGT chose to dismiss the Justice BD Agarwal Committee,” said Naba Bhattacharjee, who was recently appointed as the senior commissioner by NGT for audit of coke plants in Meghalaya.
The MEPRF was collected in 2014 after NGT had banned illegal coal mining.
He also said there was uncertainty regarding status of the three-member NGT committee headed by him.
According to him, the Assam-based All Dimasa Students’ Union and the Dima Hasao District Committee petition on rat-hole coal mining in the state followed by host of orders and directives from NGT and the Supreme Court, including constituting monitoring committees for Meghalaya, has been going on for seven years.
New NGT directives
The NGT directed the committee to ensure that no illegal or unauthorised mining took place and keeping combat and mining mishap management plans ready.
“Further, the committee may take necessary measures for rejuvenating contaminated streams and rivers. The committee will be at liberty to take assistance of any other institution or individual. The chief secretary of Meghalaya will provide necessary logistics for functioning of the committee,” the bench said.
The NGT said that restoration of environment, particularly water quality and rehabilitation of affected victims in terms of health, water supply, skill development, protection against illegal mining and steps to handle the illegally mined material remain a challenge, which requires constant planning and action.
“Since sufficient deliberations have taken place and to an extent road-map for further action has been laid out, it is now the implementation which needs to be expedited,” it said.