SHILLONG:
The state government has said that after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had imposed a blanket ban on coal mining and transportation in the state of Meghalaya on April 2014, the mining industry suffered a negative growth of (-) 59.36 percent according to GSDP at constant prices in 2014-15 thereby affecting the GSDP as a whole, to register a negative growth of (-) 2.82 percent.
The government said that contraction of GSDP came as a big blow to Meghalaya’s ambitions of achieving its revenue collection targets.
“Apart from the impact on the economy, the ban severely crippled the lives of thousands of citizens dependent on the mining sector, both directly and indirectly. Many have lost their livelihoods and had to resort to menial jobs, to feed their families,” a government press statement stated.
The statement also stated that taking cognizance of all this, the Chief Minister led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government has provided much needed impetus to revive coal mining in the state.
These efforts led to the landmark judgement of Supreme Court on July 3, 2019, upholding the rights of people of Meghalaya over the natural resources.
The statement also says that this historic judgement has reposed the citizen’s faith in the Indian Judiciary and reflects the Government of Meghalaya’s commitment to protect the rights, culture, and identity of the indigenous people.
The apex court held that private as well as community landowners have both surface rights and sub-surface rights, and minerals are owned by private and community landowners.
The statement also stated that in a significant step towards initiating scientific coal mining, the state government has availed the approval of the standard operating procedures for obtaining prospecting license and mining lease for coal in March 2021.
“Continuing the momentum, Ministry of Coal, Government of India on 25th April 2023, has provided previous approval for mining lease to four applicants of the 17 prospecting license applicants,” the government stated.
It also states that the commencement of scientific mining will be landmark in the history of Meghalaya, as it ensures minimal environmental impact through sustainable and legally compliant extraction procedure.
“As part of Scientific Mining, reclamation of coal mining areas and use of advanced technologies, such as remote sensing, aerial surveys, and 3D modelling, would be prioritised and environmental impact would be mitigated significantly,” the press statement stated.
It also said that the initiation of scientific mining in the state, is a significant achievement for the Chief Minister led MDA government, who have led a long relentless effort to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities to the citizens and revenue to the state’s exchequer.
“The income generated from the mining sector will be invested in the educational and healthcare sector, for the socio-economic prosperity of the state,” the government stated.