SHILLONG:
State president of the National People’s Party, WR Kharlukhi, on April 27, said that coal mining cannot be stopped in the state as livelihood of a lot of workers here depends on it.
To drive home his point, Kharlukhi cited the example of Delhi, saying that despite the national capital being one of the most polluted cities in the world, the industries in the city are fully functional.
“So why my state or my people? When Delhi relatively reports pollution related deaths, and the industry still are functioning. Why close down coal factories in Meghalaya?” asked the Rajya Sabha MP.
He further went on to say that in the event of closure of coal mining, the government will also lose out on substantial revenue.
Advocating for scientific coal mining in the state, Kharlukhi, however, expressed his resentment against illegal rat-hole coal mining saying that, it is not only harmful for the environment but is also detrimental to lives of miners.