From Our Correspondent
JOWAI, March 17: The Jaintia National Council (JNC), under its ‘Save Jaiñtia Mission 2024’, on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to state BJP president Rikman Momin, seeking urgent intervention for a ‘Small-Scale Scientific Coal Mining Policy’ tailored to Meghalaya’s conditions.
The move follows Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s recent statement shifting the responsibility for resolving coal mining policy issues to the central government.
The JNC has urged the BJP to forward the memorandum to the Union Ministries of Mines and Coal for action.
A key demand in the memorandum is the amendment or removal of the ‘100-hectare SOP’ under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957.
The JNC stated that this requirement is unsuitable for Meghalaya’s tribal land system.
The JNC also called for a comprehensive geological survey of coal-bearing areas, noting that the region’s thin and irregular coal seams make large-scale mining impractical.
The Council advocated for a scientific and community-inclusive mining framework that protects both livelihoods and the environment.
Meanwhile, Momin has acknowledged the issue as “important and genuine”, and has assured the JNC delegation, led by president Sambormi Lyngdoh, that the matter would be discussed with legal experts and the Centre.
