Scientific coal mining plan close to approval: CM

SHILLONG, Jan 11: Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Wednesday said the scientific coal mining process, appeal and applications to be approved are at a very advanced stage.
“The scientific mining plan to be approved is at a very advanced stage with the central government,” he said, countering the allegations of the opposition that the state government does not want to start or facilitate legal coal mining in Meghalaya.
Stating that the opposition leaders are forgetting that coal mining was shut down during their time,
Sangma said, “Mining closed down when Mukul Sangma was the Chief Minister in 2014. We don’t know what he did in the five years after mining stopped but it is this government that appealed in the Supreme Court and got the ban lifted.”
He reminded the opposition that the MDA government gave 18 prospecting licences after the ban was lifted. “Now that the mining plans are being submitted, we hope it (mining) will move forward,” he said.
The Chief Minister slammed the opposition for making statements devoid of facts and figures.