From Our Correspondent
NONGSTOIN, Dec 16: The West Khasi Hills district administration with support from the district police demolished 17 illegal coke plants that were earlier flagged to be without any form of consent from authorities, a delayed report said here on Tuesday.
The latest phase of demolition from December 1-3, comes more than two years after the state launched an all-out effort to clamp down on illegal coke factories that had mushroomed across Shallang and neighbouring areas in the district.
The coke plants demolished included 11 in Kyllon Mathei, three in Swangre, two in Pyndengjalong, Shallang, and one in Nonghynrum.
Currently the area has only four legally sanctioned coke plants with sources adding that another four more are closing down temporarily pending necessary documents.
As per sources, the present demolition was delayed due to lack of finance from the state. The Supreme Court order allowing for the demolition was issued on November 25, 2024.
Initially 39 illegal coke plants out of the 57 identified were razed to the ground through controlled blasting in July 2023. However, the plant owners approached the Supreme Court to put a stay on the demolition. The SC ruled in favour of a stay while allowing the illegal plant owners time to produce valid documentation. All the 57 illegal plants were operating without CTE with some not even having basic NOCs even from the local landowners.
The initial demolition was executed following an order by the Meghalaya High Court which had received a complaint over the mushrooming plants in the area. What is interesting is that these coke plants came up just within a period of 3-4 years even as a ban on rat-hole mining was in existence.
