Aerial survey blows the lid off rampant coal mining in state

SHILLONG, April 29: The 28th interim report submitted by the Justice (retired) BP Katakey Committee has laid bare rampant illegal coal mining and transportation across key coal-bearing districts of Meghalaya, despite multiple court directives and claims of enforcement by the state machinery.
Drawing on aerial surveys conducted between February and March 2025 by Garuda UAV Soft Solutions Pvt. Ltd., the one-man committee headed by Justice Katakey found 1,92,840.13 metric tonnes of freshly-mined illegal coal in East Jaintia Hills, West Khasi Hills, South Garo Hills, and South West Khasi Hills districts.
This is in addition to 34,803.97 metric tonnes already seized and accounted for under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, indicating a fresh cache of at least 1.58 lakh metric tonnes of illegally-mined coal.
This staggering figure was discovered within just 6.25% of the total geographical area of the four districts, prompting the committee to suggest that significantly more illegal coal might be present across the state.
The report noted that despite the massive quantity uncovered, drone surveillance teams and patrolling units operating under district police forces failed to detect any of these dumps.
The committee remarked that such failure “gives an impression that the drone surveillance and police patrolling have not been conducted in the manner it is expected to be done”.
In a glaring instance of illegal transportation, a truck bearing registration number ML10 A 4862 was found carrying coal without a valid mineral transport challan.
The challan had been issued for another vehicle, ML 05 AB 2312, and no credible proof of vehicle breakdown or emergency transshipment was furnished. The committee noted this as clear evidence of illegal movement of coal and a breakdown in inter-departmental coordination.
The report also raised serious questions over discrepancies in coal auction data. According to figures submitted by the state government, 14.10 lakh metric tonnes of re-assessed and re-verified coal were available after drone surveys.
However, auctions held till September 2024 offered 16.38 lakh metric tonnes, suggesting that an excess of over 2.27 lakh metric tonnes may have been put up for sale without proper verification. Furthermore, over 7 lakh metric tonnes of coal sold in these auctions remains unlifted, leaving the state to bear the storage burden.
Justice Katakey recommended the urgent seizure and transportation of the newly identified illegal coal to centralised depots to prevent pilferage and further environmental damage.
The report underlined the need for stricter implementation of surveillance in coal-rich districts of the state.