Shillong, May 6: Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Thursday said the Meghalaya government is facing a massive challenge in closing abandoned coal mines across the state due to limited manpower, revealing that East Jaintia Hills district alone has around 22,000 mines.
Responding to queries regarding mine closure, the Chief Minister said the scale of the problem makes it difficult for the administration to monitor all locations simultaneously.
“We are doing that, as we maintained from the beginning that there are large number of mines. Just East Jaintia Hills alone has 22,000 mines. That is there in their report itself,” Sangma said.
He explained that the administration can only focus on a limited number of sites at a time despite ongoing efforts.
“Therefore, with whatever administration and manpower that we have, even though say we focus on 5,000 or 6,000 locations and areas in one go, there are still 15,000 which becomes difficult for us to do,” he stated.
The Chief Minister further noted that monitoring abandoned mines remains a continuous challenge, as illegal activities may resume once officials shift focus to other areas.
“As soon as we shift from that 5,000 and try to get to another 5,000, back in the first 5,000 we were monitoring, the activity could start,” he said.
Sangma maintained that the government remains committed to enforcing court directives and ensuring compliance with rules and regulations related to mining activities in the state.
“So, it is not as simple as it sounds. What is important is we are committed, we are sincere in our efforts, the administration is working overtime. We have shifted manpower from that district to other districts to help them and support them in this and we will continue to ensure that all steps are taken from the government side, so that all the rules and regulations and orders from the court are adhered to,” the Chief Minister added.
