Illegal mining taking place in Jaintia hills

By Our Reporter

SHILLONG, JAN 15: Rampant “illegal” mining of coal in various areas especially falling under Elakas of Nongkhlieh and Sutnga in Jaintia hills region are taking place despite the NGT’s blanket ban on rat-hole coal mining in Meghalaya.

Civil Society Women Organization (CSWO) brought this to light after it undertook spot inspections to the different coal belt areas in East Jaintia hills district on Saturday.

“We urged that action be taken against those violating the NGT orders and also against officials who have not informed about the extraction of coal and carrying of fresh coal from the forest,” CSWO president Agnes Kharshiing said.

She said while inspecting it was found that in most areas in the East Jaintia hills district there is rampant mining especially in areas under the Elaka Nongkhlieh and Elaka Sutnga.

She said villages falling under the two elakas Khaidong and Moolasngi in Nongkhlieh elaka mining are being carried out and there also destruction of plantation and forest.

The CSWO also found that the rampant violation of the NGT orders is also affecting caves sanctuary that two Elakas are famous for attracting foreign tourists every year, as rat-hole mining is also done from beneath these caves.

It also noticed the bad and pathetic road condition due to lack of development in these areas.

The organization also interacted with the coal labourers working in the mines who informed the names of the owners of the mines and one of them happen to be a former minister.

“Nehlang Lyngdoh, a former minister and MLA, Syrpai Sutnga, Mynkren Shadap, Victor Suja, Beda Dkhar and others were named by the workers,” Kharshiing alleged while informing that one Narayan was Sordar (Manager) of some of these people who were carrying out the violation. The manager used a red Maruti car having No ML 05 F 9866, she said.

Kharshiing also informed that she noticed freshly dug up coal was brought into certain depots especially in Lad Sutnga area and Soo Kilo area. These freshly dugout coal are being brought from many forest areas falling in Sutnga Elaka and Nongkhlieh Elaka” she alleged.

She further stated that all the coal miners were from outside the State mainly from Assam (Barpeta, Kallain, Silchar, Karimganj, Badapur ), Karbi Anglong, Nepal, etc.

She also revealed that the coal miners told the CSWO team that they have reached 300 feet but have not yet reached the coal and are still digging down and some going right under the caves which are world famous like ‘Krem Shrieh, Krem Liatprah.

Kharshiing said villagers also said they could hear blasting carried out which shook the whole area almost every night.

CSWO has urged the authorities and the legislator from Sutnga  to immediately take action to make the roads and protect the caves