Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said that various procedures have been implemented since the Supreme Court last extended the time period to transport coal up to January 31 and the state government would “appeal to the court to let this continue”.
“But in the interim we will abide by the court’s ruling today and no transportation of coal will be allowed once we receive the order officially,” Sangma told HT on phone late Tuesday. after the Supreme Court ordered an immediate ban on the transportation of extracted coal lying at various sites in Meghalaya which has had no success in rescuing 15 miners trapped inside an illegal rat-hole coal mine for almost a month.
Sangmas' predecessor Dr Mukul Sangma said the order showed that the Supreme Court “could no longer trust a state government and called for the CM’s resignation.
The apex court’s order came while hearing a petition by the State Coordination Committee of Coal Owners and Mine Dealers' Forum (SCCCOMDF) on allowing transportation of extracted coal from Meghalaya, elicited varying reactions in the state..
There was also an extensive two-volume Citizens’ Forum report on the on the deleterious effects that mining has had on the state. It blamed the Meghalaya government of “actively colluded in helping coal miners” to extract coal, blatantly flouting the ban set by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and urging the top court to impose an immediate ban.
{{/usCountry}}There was also an extensive two-volume Citizens’ Forum report on the on the deleterious effects that mining has had on the state. It blamed the Meghalaya government of “actively colluded in helping coal miners” to extract coal, blatantly flouting the ban set by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and urging the top court to impose an immediate ban.
{{/usCountry}}Angela Rangad, a member of the Citizens Forum said that the order “most importantly points to the fact that illegalities will not be tolerated.” She said it also sent a message against attacks on members of the public who have tried to highlight instances of illegal mining. “It also made clear that the rights of labourers, such as those trapped in an illegal coal mine since December, matter,” she said.
Rangad also called for the government to acknowledge that coal is a fuel of the past and it should rather invest in renewable sources of energy.
However, what may perhaps be the final nail in the coffin was though an interim, but elaborate report submitted by an Independent Committee constituted by the Supreme Court on August 31 last year.
After six sittings and field visits to mining sites, the 3-member committee headed by Justice (Retd) Brojendra Prasad Katakey concluded that despite the NGT ban since 2014, illegal coal mining was still going on especially in East Jaintia Hills district. During their visits, members of the committee saw freshly extracted coal, temporary tents where labourers were living and machinery including a freshly greased crane.
The state government had reported to the committee that altogether 2712 trucks carrying coal have been apprehended and 1139 cases for such transportation have been registered, which includes registration of 98 cases for extraction of coal after the ban was imposed in East Jaintia Hills district with over 2000 people having been arrested in this connection.
“It seems that there is an attempt to show the freshly mined coal, i.e. the coal mined after the ban imposed by the Hon’ble NGT, as the coal left out from the assessment and remained un-inventorised though mined prior to the said ban. The Committee also apprehends that such freshly mined coal may be transported taking advantage of the order dated 04.12.2018 passed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court,’ the report reads.
After the NGT ban, extracted coal assessed by government agencies stood at 23,25,663.54 metric tonnes against the declared figure of 24,14,878.63 MT. The committee discovered that East Jaintia Hills district declared 15,46,687.00 MT against 13,22,379.00 assessed which indicated that all was not well and that the possibility of illegal mining despite the NGT ban was very strong.
Ex-CM and leader of the opposition Dr Mukul Sangma slammed the NPP-led state government, saying that the ruling, “for the first time in the history of independent India”, demonstrate that the Supreme Court “could no longer trust a state government. With this exposure the leadership does not have both the moral and legal right to continue in office.”
He also said that “people who are in power” are complicit in the illegal mining of coal in Meghalaya.
On Tuesday, the apex court criticised the Meghalaya government for failing to bring a halt to illegal mining and has asked it to file an affidavit in this regard.
Shillong MP Vincent Pala, meanwhile, welcomed the ruling in the hope that it will spur the state government to former proper policies and rules “that will safeguard the welfare of the miners, mine owners and ensure that the environment will not be impacted.”
Pala, whose family members have mining interests, added that he expects that the Supreme Court will review its decision once these measures have been taken.
Sonny Khyriem, who has been fighting the coal miners’ corner in the courts, refused to comment since he has not seen the official order.
“Since the matter is sub judice, it would be improper for me to comment even though I was the one present at the Supreme Court today on behalf of the State Coordination Committee of Coal Owners and Mine Dealers' Forum,” he said.