SHILLONG, AUG 3: Coal miners in Meghalaya on Sunday called a ‘statewide-dawn to dusk shutdown on August 6 to protest against the failure of the state government committee to follow the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directives which resulted in the formation of another committee to carry out the works given to the earlier committee that can pave the way for the transportation of the extracted coal which is lying in different coal mines.
The decision of the coal miners under the banner of the State Co-ordination Committee of Coal Owners, Miners and Dealers Forum (SCCCOMDF) after the NGT had dismissed the committee constituted on June 9 after it failed to adhere to order.
The failure of the committee to submit the report to the NGT resulted in the delay in allowing the transportion of the already extracted coal.
The NGT passed an order during the August 1 hearing at the Meghalaya high court saying, “The June 9-Committee cannot be permitted to carry forward its functions which was supposed to comply with the directives of the tribunal but has done nothing thereby causing serious economic losses to the state besides failing to protect the ecology.”
Announcing the decision, SCCCOMDF secretary M Kharkongor said, “We are left with no option but to call for a one day bandh on August 6, throughout the state starting from dawn to dusk as a mark of protest against the unsympathetic stand of the state government on the issue which has greatly affected the people who survived on coal mining activities.”
Kharkongor said the Forum strongly resented the failure of the state government and the earlier constituted committee by the NGT for their non-compliance to the order passed by the NGT on June 9, thereby compelling the NGT to order a fresh committee.”
According to Kharkongor, the NGT in its order passed on June 9 had permitted the transportation of coal already extracted both in the depots and also in the quarry near the pits within two weeks from the date as last ordered.
“Unfortunately the inaction of the NGT constituted committee and the state government in particular resulted in not allowing transportation of coal in the absence of the report,” Kharkongor said adding “The coal miners through their learned counsels had argued in the NGT special circuit bench eastern zone held in Shillong that the NGT constituted committee and state government had overlooked several aspects of the earlier order passed by it.”
Kharkongor further informed that the ban on coal mining and transportation of the extracted coal has affected the lives of thousands of people involved in the coal mining sector and the economy of the state.
Kharkongor added, “The forum took strong exception against the government who stated in the report to the NGT that the transportation of the extracted coal could not be made operational owing to non-functional of coal weighing machines, the time factor beside the NGT had given a one month time to the state government to come up with guidelines and management policy for mining of coal.” He also said the the state government has completely failed to comply with the directives.
The NGT had further maintained that the ban on rat hole coal mining in the state of Meghalaya would continue.
On this, Kharkongor said the forum would put all its efforts to speed up the related pending matter so as to enable in restarting the mining activities in the state with regulation adding the forum will be taking necessary steps to keep striving for lifting the ban on mining of coal in the state and shall present their case again before the NGT in the next sitting scheduled on October 7 and 8.
Meanwhile, the forum said emergency services, milk men, media, people attending patients in hospitals are exempted from the purview of the bandh.
It also appealed to all sections, both rural and urban areas including students, ngos, government servants, business community to extend their support and cooperation during the upcoming bandh.- By Our Reporter
Serious economic losses to the state has been caused by the evading of revenue by these coal and cement barons..and the pollution caused to drinking water. They talk of the poor and the lives of thousands when all these years they fed them acidic water….they should be taken to task and criminal action be initiated against them…
They should get their facts right. Article 21 of the Constitution of India, gives prominence to the right to life, than any other interest including economic interest of the State or the individuals. Who are they to call the bandh and impede our freedom.
U just shut up let them there job….u already…have everything let just talk about…the economic crisis
..