Pay in 3 installments: NGT to mine owners

SHILLONG, OCT 7: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) offered partial relief to the coal mine owners in Meghalaya by allowing them to pay three equal installments of royalty on the extracted and assessed coal even as the interim ban will continue prohibiting unscientific, unregulated and impermissible rat hold coal mining in the state.

The order came after petitions were filed by the coal miners associations expressing their difficulty in paying royalty within 14 days as per the guidelines issued by the NGT reconstituted committee headed by additional chief secretary KS Kropha and principal secretary MS Rao.

Earlier, the committee has directed that payment of royalty should be within 14 days.

“The court has given a direction that the coal miners can pay the royalty in three equal installments which is within 45 days instead of 14 days. Whatever quantity of coal has been extracted, transportation can then take place after payment of the royalty,” Ranjan Mukherjee, government counsel for the government told reporters after the hearing on Tuesday.

According to Mukherjee, the three installments as per the guidelines were within 14 days which was issued from September 1. The guideline was notified on September 4. He, however, said the specified period is over on September 18.

Mukherjee said the coal miners had applied for modification asking for payment of royalty in installments.

According to the committee there are around 6.3 million tones of extracted coal which is estimated to be around Rs 3078 crores and royalty payable to the state government is 400 crores.

The committee also came out with an observation that some mine owners had grossly over declared and under declared their coal stocks.

“The process of assessment of the coal quantity has revealed certain disturbing trends in respect of declarations made by the coal owners. A large number of coal owners have made false declarations without having any coal stock. Some mine owners have grossly over declared their stock,” the committee had stated.

“Their (coal miners) application was disposed of by the NGT, who directed so far as payment of royalty is concern it will be on the extracted coal or the assessed coal whichever is higher,” Mukherjee said.

Mukherjee informed that the royalty to be paid will be on extracted, assessed and declared coals whichever is higher… which means that the principle in which the royalty is to be paid declared or assessed whichever is higher.

According to Mukherjee, the NGT said that not a  single piece of coal can be transported unless and until royalty is paid.

There are eight mining districts in Meghalaya where coal is mined.

Mukherjee also informed that the ban will continue prohibiting unscientific unregulated impermissible rat hole coal mining in Meghalaya. “There was a party which has moved an application seeking permission to start mining again and the court has dismissed the petition,” he said.

Meanwhile, the NGT has also directed the government reconstituted committee to submit a fresh report after assessing everything including mining plan and mining policy.

The court has also fixed that the next hearing on December 8 and 9.

On the case pertaining to South Garo hills incident of 2012 , Mukherjee informed that the case has been postponed till the next round of sitting of the tribunal. “On this, state government has been directed to file the list of witnesses within one week from today,” he said.

According to Mukherjee, the affidavit filed by the government has cited six witnessed. He said, “This is the last opportunity and any party not filing the list of witnesses or not bringing the witnesses on the next date of hearing, the right to examine the witnesses will be on the court.”

Meanwhile, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has also directed the Meghalaya government, the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MPSCB) and Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) to submit their replies within three weeks.

The notices to the government was issued is in view of an application filed in relation to pollution of Wahumkhrah and Umshyrpi rivers in the state’s capital.

“The government has been asked to submit their rejoinders on this within a period of three weeks and it will be taken up for consideration in the next date of hearing,” Mukherjee said. – By Our Reporter