Mining dept to pursue coal ban with centre

SHILLONG, JUNE 24: Meghalaya cabinet on Friday decided to direct the state Mining and Geology department to take up with the union government on the need to exempt the state from the central laws on mining of coal.

The cabinet also wants the department to follow up the state government proposal for invoking Para 12 A (b) of the Sixth Schedule even as it said that the state government commitment to regulate coal mining as per statutory laws will also be placed before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in the upcoming hearing on July 7.

Chief Minister Mukul Sangma told reporters after the cabinet meeting, “The department has been mandated to exclusively deal on coal related issues to ensure that the proposal of the state government is achieved.”

He said the direction to the department would enable the latter to focus on coal issue alone as the mining activity in the state has been stopped by National Green Tribunal (NGT) since April 17, 2014. The ban on coal mining is has affected the economy of the state as it has lost around Rs 600 crore revenue last year.

He said the department has been given the responsibility to prevail upon the centre to exempt the operation part of the Coal Mines (Nationalization) Act, 1973 and Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act in the scheduled areas of the state.

Section 3 of the Coal Mines (Nationalization) Act, 1973 which talks about acquisition of rights of owners in respect of coal mines states – “On the appointed day, the right, title and interest of the owners in relation to the coal mines specified in the Schedule shall stand transferred to, and shall vest absolutely in the Central Government free from all encumbrances.”

Meghalaya assembly last year adopted a resolution to urged the centre for invoking Para 12 A (b) of the Sixth Schedule through a presidential notification to exempt the state from the provisions of these central laws.

When asked, Sangma said that the issue is a completely new thing for the Government of India and it will take time because any decision will be based after a diligence exercise.

He also informed that the cabinet committee constituted by the centre had met a number of times and there is follow up on the matter. “The state government will now take up the matter to ensure the whole process is expedited. We are in the final stage.”

Meanwhile, the chief minister also said that the state government will also focus on the need to prevail upon the NGT that it is committed to bring coal mining activity under effective regulations in respect to environment, safety and labour.

“We will try to convince the NGT to enable mining of coal once again in the state,” he added.

On the recent order of the NGT, Sangma said that the authority concerned has been asked to assess the remaining extracted coal lying in different mining areas of the state.

Based on self declaration by mine owners and the one which is being assessed, the state government will place before the NGT in the next hearing to be held on July 7.-By Our Reporter