SHILLONG, Nov 18: The Trinamool Congress has blamed the state government for its lack of foresight in preparing the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for granting of prospecting licences or coal mining leases.
TMC MLA George B Lyngdoh on Friday said the SOPs will stay as it is a result of the policies adopted and envisioned by a myopic dispensation.
Accusing the state government of trying to protect the interest of some influential people, he said: “The SOPs issued by the state government goes against the interest of small-time miners. We have to follow the ruling of the Supreme Court and the SOPs are here to stay.”
He reminded that the previous leadership had engaged with the Central government to exempt Meghalaya from the purview of the Mines and Minerals [Development and Regulation] (MMDR) Act considering the fact that the state falls under the Sixth Schedule and the Ministry of Mines had also given its consent which was supposed to be followed up by the incumbent government.
The previous government had fought hard to exempt Meghalaya from the MMDR Act to protect the interest of small-time mine owners but the present dispensation adopted a diametrically opposite stand.
It may be recalled that five pressure groups have also questioned the SOPs issued by the state government for the granting of prospecting licences or mining leases for coal. In a memorandum submitted to both Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, these groups – Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC), Hynniewtrep A’chik National Movement (HANM), Confederation of Ri-Bhoi People (CoRP), East Jaintia National Council (EJNC) and Jaintia Student Movement (JSM) – said the MDA Government should amend the office memo issued on March 5 relating to the SOPs.
HYC president Robertjune Kharjahrin had stated that the SOPs were unacceptable since only a very few tribal landowners will have possession of or ownership over 100 hectares of land. “The clause will deprive people owning less land of a livelihood through coal mining,” he said.
This clause will allow or encourage the big companies and some bigwigs to acquire huge chunks of land to further monopolise the coal business while small miners will not be in a position to be in the coal mining business, he added.
