About 4,000 tonnes of illegally mined coal missing in Meghalaya: Minister
Guwahati: Nearly 4,000 tonnes of illegally mined coal have vanished without a trace from two Meghalaya villages. A state minister on Monday blamed it on the rain."Meghalaya receives the highest rainfall. You never know... because of rain, the coal might have swept away," revenue and disaster management minister Kyrmen Shylla said. But he offered no certainty: "I cannot blame just the rain. It could be or it could not be...." Shylla said he wasn't trying to justify the loss. "There's no conclusive evidence yet to determine whether it was due to natural causes or any illegal activity," he said.His remarks followed Meghalaya high court's criticism of the state govt over the missing stockpile. A report submitted this July by the court-appointed committee headed by retired Justice BP Katakey flagged the disappearance of coal from depots in Rajaju and Diengngan villages - all of it illegally mined.On July 24, an HC division bench said that "unknown persons, it appears, have lifted and transported the coal". The court ordered authorities to trace those responsible, both for lifting the coal and for failing to safeguard it. Meghalaya govt said it had lodged an FIR. NGT had banned coal mining and transportation in Meghalaya in 2014, citing rampant environmental violations and the use of dangerous "rat-hole" mining methods. However, illegal mining continues to surface across the state.Shylla reiterated the state's commitment to legal compliance. "Any activity related to coal must be done in accordance with the law. Authorities must ensure illegal practices are curbed."
