‘Standard operating procedure for prospecting licences and mining leases favours large business entities only’
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, July 30: The Meghalaya State Coordination Committee of Coal Owners, Miners, Exporters, Transporters, and Dealers Forum has announced a series of public meetings to pressurise the state government into scrapping the “illegal” standard operating procedure (SOP) for coal prospecting licences and mining leases.
Regeenal Shylla, executive member of the forum, told media persons on Tuesday that the decision follows the government’s failure to address concerns raised in a July 2 memorandum submitted to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma.
The forum contends that the SOP, issued on March 5, 2021, contradicts the Mining and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act of 1957 and unfairly favours large business entities by stipulating a minimum land requirement of 100 hectares for mining applications.
“The SOP has deprived local indigenous people who have less than 100 hectares of land, disqualifying them from applying for a prospecting license,” Shylla explained, adding that the SOP forces smaller landowners to sell their land to larger businesses.
The forum plans to seek intervention from the state’s MPs. It has already challenged the SOP in the Meghalaya High Court. They argue that the MMDR Act specifies a minimum mining lease area of 4 hectares and that the state’s SOP oversteps its authority.
In their memorandum, the forum referenced the National Green Tribunal’s 2014 ban on illegal rat-hole mining and expressed readiness to adopt scientific mining methods. They emphasised that the SOP’s area restrictions hinder local miners and called for its immediate repeal to allow mining leases for areas less than 100 hectares, promoting sustainable practices and equitable access to mining opportunities.
“We want the government to frame a new rule as per the MMDR Act, 1957 since the act does not mention that one has to have 100 hectares of land to be able to apply for the prospective licence,” Shylla said.
He said the petition was filed before the High Court on April 27, 2023 and the court has already held more than 20 hearings.
“I wanted to file the petition as soon as the government issued the notification in 2021. But there was not much support at that time. Now the association has backed me since we are fighting for the same cause,” Shylla said.
He informed that he had submitted a memorandum to the chief minister on this issue recently, mentioning that the prescribed norm in the SOP is contrary to the provisions laid down under the MMDR Act.
He urged the state government to allow miners, irrespective of the area they hold, to apply for the prospective mining lease in line with what is being allowed Nagaland.