SHILLONG : Sutnga-Saipung legislator Santa Mary Shylla on Thursday said a recent meeting with the Union Ministry of Mines in Delhi was “very positive and progressive”, with the Centre likely to send officials to Meghalaya in October to assess the feasibility of scientific coal mining.
Shylla said the meeting was chaired by Rupinder Brar, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Mines, and attended by Meghalaya Law Secretary CVD Diengdoh, officials of the Directorate of Mineral Resources and representatives of the Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Limited (CMPDIL).
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Shylla said presentations were made by both sides, including by CMPDIL on the feasibility of scientific coal mining in Meghalaya, particularly in East Jaintia Hills.
“It was a very positive and progressive meeting. Our officers have been following up the matter of scientific mining,” she said.
According to Shylla, central officials have agreed to visit Meghalaya, likely in October, to gain a practical understanding of the mining conditions in the state.
The Sutnga-Saipung MLA said the state government has requested the Centre to relax existing norms relating to the size and area required for scientific coal mining and to permit individual mining licences.
She argued that large-scale open-cast mining would be neither economically viable nor environmentally suitable for Meghalaya.
“We have private land holding system in Meghalaya, not community land. Open-cast mining is very expensive and will degrade the environment. That is why we have requested that scientific mining licences be given individually and the land size be reduced,” Shylla said.
Shylla also said the Meghalaya Government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, has been pursuing the issue since 2019 and that the Centre’s latest response reflects continuous efforts by the state.
She said people living in coal-bearing areas of Meghalaya are facing financial difficulties and expressed hope that the proposed visit by the central team would help find a way forward on scientific coal mining in the state.
“People of Meghalaya, especially in the coal-bearing areas, are facing financial hardship. We are trying our best and hope that after the central team’s visit, a way forward will be worked out,” she said.