SHILLONG:
Lone Rajya Sabha MP from the state WR Kharlukhi on November 8 asserted that both Centre and state government should allow traditional rat-hole mining of coal to continue if they cannot start scientific mining in the state.
“I will raise this issue in Parliament that if you (government) cannot do it (scientific mining), you allow them (to continue with the rat-hole mining). Otherwise why should my people suffer for the sake of failure of a policy somewhere,” Kharlukhi told reporters.
When asked about the negative impact of rat-hole mining on the environment, the MP said, “But there are times also we should see which is valuable – human life or other parts. If you say that human life is not valuable then okay or if you feel that we tribals are not valuable then okay but don’t keep our people like this.”
He said that since 2014 – when the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered a blanket ban on rat-hole mining of coal in Meghalaya – the central government and the state government had done nothing to start scientific mining adding “They should show that they are at least interested.”
“I see people are made to suffer for no fault of theirs. For 40 years, rat-hole mining was allowed and only now they realised that it is harmful. They did not know or what that rat-hole mining is being carried out in Meghalaya,” he said.
Expressing disappointment, Kharlukhi said, “From 2014 till now scientific mining is yet to start. So who is at fault, whether the Centre or state government? They should take steps if they want to help our people as the loss is huge for the people of the state.”
He said the government has to carry out a study to ascertain whether scientific or open cast mining is feasible or not in the state.
“However, it has been eight years since 2014, nothing has been done and people of the state are suffering,” the MP said adding, “The state government is trying its level best to get through the court for this but my saying is that let it be allowed and something should be done.”