SHILLONG, Nov 9 - In Meghalaya, coal mining is banned and the extracted 32 lakh metric tonnes of coal is waiting to be auctioned, but coal from the state is moving out because �unclaimed coal� is allowed to be transported as per law.
Replying during the question hour in the Assembly on Monday, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said the coal that is being transported falls under the category of unclaimed coal.
As per the provisions of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, any mineral seized (in this case unclaimed coal) would be assessed by officials and after getting direction from the courts, would be disposed of.
On the other aspects, Sangma said the state government is processing several applications for mining lease so that mining can again begin based on scientific methods and in compliance with the Supreme Court directives.
Regarding the steps being taken to auction the 32 lakh metric tonnes of extracted coal, Sangma said the government was complying with the directives of Central agencies and the courts to auction the same.
He said one of conditions for this coal to be auctioned is that the coal has to be brought from their current location to depots. The state has created five such depots and also launched a website as mandated before the auction, he said.
Two depots have been set up in East Jaintia Hills district, and one each in South Garo Hills, West Khasi Hills and South West Khasi Hills districts. Transportation from the mining sites of this extracted coal has begun in East Jaintia Hills district and would follow in the other districts soon. The Chief Minister also informed the House that the government is taking several steps to stop illegal transportation of coal and in the past five years from 2014, more than 2,000 cases of illegal transportation have been registered.
He said that to combat this problem, his government has implemented provisions under the MMDR Act, which unlike the CrPC Act, provides stricter punishment of Rs 5 lakh in fine and jail for 5 years.
However, opposition Congress legislator Zenith Sangma got into an argument with Sangma with his supplementary questions to which the Chief Minister said that the extracted coal and its assessment was a creation of the erstwhile Congress government in 2014-15.
SHILLONG, Nov 9 - In Meghalaya, coal mining is banned and the extracted 32 lakh metric tonnes of coal is waiting to be auctioned, but coal from the state is moving out because �unclaimed coal� is allowed to be transported as per law.
Replying during the question hour in the Assembly on Monday, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said the coal that is being transported falls under the category of unclaimed coal.
As per the provisions of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, any mineral seized (in this case unclaimed coal) would be assessed by officials and after getting direction from the courts, would be disposed of.
On the other aspects, Sangma said the state government is processing several applications for mining lease so that mining can again begin based on scientific methods and in compliance with the Supreme Court directives.
Regarding the steps being taken to auction the 32 lakh metric tonnes of extracted coal, Sangma said the government was complying with the directives of Central agencies and the courts to auction the same.
He said one of conditions for this coal to be auctioned is that the coal has to be brought from their current location to depots. The state has created five such depots and also launched a website as mandated before the auction, he said.
Two depots have been set up in East Jaintia Hills district, and one each in South Garo Hills, West Khasi Hills and South West Khasi Hills districts. Transportation from the mining sites of this extracted coal has begun in East Jaintia Hills district and would follow in the other districts soon. The Chief Minister also informed the House that the government is taking several steps to stop illegal transportation of coal and in the past five years from 2014, more than 2,000 cases of illegal transportation have been registered.
He said that to combat this problem, his government has implemented provisions under the MMDR Act, which unlike the CrPC Act, provides stricter punishment of Rs 5 lakh in fine and jail for 5 years.
However, opposition Congress legislator Zenith Sangma got into an argument with Sangma with his supplementary questions to which the Chief Minister said that the extracted coal and its assessment was a creation of the erstwhile Congress government in 2014-15.
