Tribunal issues notices to state, central authorities
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Feb 10: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken suo motu cognisance of media reports detailing a devastating explosion at an illegal rat-hole coal mine at Mynsyngat-Thangsko area in East Jaintia Hills, which has resulted in 30 fatalities.
The tribunal has registered an original application based on a news report published on February 6, 2026, highlighting the tragedy and alleged blatant violations of environmental laws and prior judicial bans.
A bench comprising NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Expert Member A. Senthil Vel expressed grave concern over the persistence of such hazardous and prohibited activities.
The tribunal observed that rat-hole mining had been explicitly banned earlier due to its severe environmental and safety risks, yet illegal operations continue unabated, prima facie constituting non-compliance with the tribunal’s previous directives.
The bench noted that the incident appears to involve violations of key environmental statutes, including the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, the Indian Forest Act, and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
The bench stressed that the tragedy raises critical issues about the enforcement of environmental safeguards, statutory compliance, and accountability in the face of recurring disasters in the region.
Citing a Supreme Court judgment that upholds the NGT’s authority to initiate proceedings on its own motion (suo motu), the tribunal formally registered the case as an original application.
The NGT issued notices to the Chief Secretary of Meghalaya, the Central Pollution Control Board, the integrated regional office of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shillong, and the deputy commissioner of East Jaintia Hills, requiring them to file affidavit replies at least one week prior to the next scheduled hearing.
It may be recalled that the NGT had imposed a blanket ban on rat-hole coal mining in Meghalaya in April 2014, citing its “unscientific and unsafe” nature. The ban was later upheld by the Supreme Court of India in 2019.
