SHILLONG, Dec 4: Social worker Evalyni Kharbani has petitioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting the intervention of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to resume limestone export to Bangladesh which has been banned by the High Court of Meghalaya as per its judgment on November 24.
In her petition to the PM, Kharbani said export of limestone and other minerals from Meghalaya to Bangladesh has been carried out for the last 50 years after obtaining all the requisite permission for the same.
“As far as limestone mining in Meghalaya is concerned, the state government has issued mining licences under the Meghalaya Minor Minerals Concession Rules, 2016, to various indigenous tribal people of the state to enable them to earn their livelihood and to generate employment to other tribals of the state through mining and export,” she said.
She stated that the mining licences are issued after following all due process of law, as the land belongs to the indigenous tribal people of the state and no other person can apply for the same apart from the indigenous people of Meghalaya.
She further pointed out that on receipt of the mining lease, the licensee would carry out mining activities as per the terms and conditions as provided in the mining lease under the strict observation of the state government.
Stating that the judgment to ban the export of limestone from Meghalaya to Bangladesh has severely affected the indigenous tribal people of Meghalaya who have obtained the mining licence from the government, Kharbani said, “After the ban on export of limestone, export being the biggest market for limestone of the state, the licensees have been put in great financial difficulties.”
She requested the PMO to take appropriate action for an amendment of the Mines and Minerals (Development of Regulations) Act, 1957, for removal of any end-use restrictions and allow export of limestone to resolve the problems faced by the indigenous tribal people of Meghalaya.
Copies of the petition were also submitted to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister of Coal and Mines Prahlad Joshi, BJP Meghalaya in-charge M Chuba Ao and state BJP president Ernest Mawrie.
