Meghalaya govt colluded with illegal miners: Report
New Delhi, Jan 14 (IBNS): A citizens' report prepared by 22 activists says the Meghalaya government "actively colluded in helping coal miners" illegally extract coal and transport it in “blatant violation of both the National Green Tribunal and Supreme Court orders”, The Indian Express said.
The second part of the report was submitted to the country's apex court on January 7.
The second part of the report deals with “How and why unregulated & illegal coal mining in Meghalaya continued even after the orders of National Green Tribunal & Hon’ble Supreme Court of India?”
Fifteen miners were trapped in a rat-hole mine in Meghalaya on December 13. Rescue operations continue even though their chances of survival are minimal.
The first part of the report that was submitted to the Supreme Court in December had named several politicians who allegedly own coal mines themselves or have relatives who are coal miners.
The National Green Tribunal had in 2014 banned the popular rat-hole mining technique.
“The Meghalaya government has been very strict against illegal coal mining. We have registered a large number of cases, both against illegal mining and illegal transportation. Equipment has been seized in large numbers. But the problem is there are a large number of mines spread over very remote areas of several districts and, sometimes it becomes difficult for us to track them. Some individuals, in collusion with coal miners, have been extracting coal illegally perhaps,” Meghalaya chief secretary Y. Tsering told The Indian Express.
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