SHILLONG, AUG 5: The failure of the Meghalaya government to come up with the state mining and management plan has forced the coal miners to serve them with a month’s notice to put in place with the plan or else they threatened to seek the NGT’s permission to allow them to prepare the mining management plan.
The coal miners have given time to the state government till August 31 to frame the mining plan as directed by the NGT.
The NGT, which had imposed a blanket ban on illegal and unscientific rat-hole coal mining in Meghalaya since April 2014, had directed the state government to submit its mining plan within six weeks to enable mining of coal in the state again.
The decision to serve a month’s notice to the state government was taken at a meeting of the coal miners under the banner of the State Co-ordination Committee of Coal Owners, Miners and Dealers Forum (SCCCOMDF) on Wednesday.
“We have decided to serve a deadline till August 31 demanding the state government come up with the mining management plan as directed by the NGT,” SCCCOMDF chairman Sonny L Khyriem told newsmen after the meeting.
He also warned that If the government fails they will be forced to file a petition requesting the NGT to grant them permission to prepare the mining and management plan on behalf of the state.
Khyriem said, “We, the miners are ready to prepare a mining management plan by ourselves and let the NGT take a call on this. Let it be on trial basis for one or two years as we are also concern for our livelihood and for the environment.” He said that they will seek experts help to prepare the mining plan. – By Our Reporter
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