Shillong, October 6: Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Tuesday ruled out any return to rat-hole mining in Meghalaya, saying mining in the state must continue only through scientific methods that ensure the safety of miners and protection of the environment.
Sangma said the state government is working with the Centre to reduce the minimum mining lease area from the existing 100 hectares to between 5 and 10 hectares, making scientific mining more accessible to small miners.
The chief minister said he and MLA Santa Mary Shylla had met the Union Minister for Coal and Mines a few months ago and proposed reducing the lease area to below 10 hectares, preferably five hectares. “The Government of India was very positive and they formed a committee. The committee has met three-four times now and I had discussions with the committee. The members will be coming very shortly to Meghalaya to further discuss with different stakeholders,” Sangma said.
He pointed out that mining is already permitted in Meghalaya following the lifting of the ban in 2019. “It is not a question of allowing mining or not allowing mining. Mining is allowed in Meghalaya and mines have been opened. The issue is the methodology with which you are going to mine, and that is the crux of the matter,” he said.
Sangma said the lifting of the ban came with the condition that mining must comply with provisions of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act and follow scientific methods. “The concern is the safety of miners and the safety of the environment,” he said.
The chief minister, however, made it clear that the traditional rat-hole mining system would not be permitted to return. “If you are talking about going back to the old ways of rat-hole mining, that will not happen because that is exactly why the ban was imposed. The Government of India, Supreme Court and NGT have been very clear that the safety of miners and the environment must remain the top priority,” he said.
On providing relief to small-scale miners, Sangma said the government is seeking flexibility in the size of mining leases without compromising scientific safeguards. “The acreage may come down to five or 10 hectares, but the techniques and methodology will still have to follow the scientific process,” he said.
He added that the state has proposed scientific mining mechanisms suited to Meghalaya’s coal seams and local geological conditions. “We have proposed certain scientific mechanisms to suit our seams and overall conditions in our mines and allow small-time miners to mine. At the same time, this technology will also protect the environment and the miners,” Sangma said.
The chief minister said discussions with the Centre are aimed at striking a balance between scientific mining requirements and Meghalaya’s local conditions. “The Government of India has made it very clear that whatever mining you do, whatever size you have, the process has to be scientific. That is what we are working on now — how to ensure that a scientific process which protects miners and the environment is maintained while keeping local conditions in mind,” he said.
