By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Feb 16: The state government on Friday refused to comment if open-cast scientific mining is feasible in the state.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said experts from agencies of Government of India approve it.
“Basically, the mining plans are made by mining engineers and experts and I will not be in a position to comment on it. That is the reason why we have experts from Government of India agencies to approve that. Obviously, they will study all aspects,” Sangma told reporters.
Experts from the Central Mine Planning & Design Institute Limited (CMPDIL) are of the opinion that improvised rat-hole mining will have minimal impact on vegetation and forest cover compared to open-cast mining.
Recently, Justice (retired) BP Katakey, who heads the single-member committee constituted by the High Court of Meghalaya, had insisted on strict adherence to the mine closure plan in the event of open-cast scientific mining in the state.
Sangma said all mining plans will be approved by central government agencies.
The process is tedious as the aspects of land holdings are different in the state and hence, the policy that is applied here is different from the policies applied elsewhere in the country, he said.
“We are happy that things are moving in the right direction. We are hopeful that things (scientific mining) should be happening very soon, so let’s wait and hope for the best,” the chief minister added.