For years, red flags were raised, interim reports were filed and judicial observations placed on record. Yet, it took a devastating blast in a rat-hole coal mine in Thangsko, East Jaintia Hills — killing over 30 people and injuring several others — for the State machinery to move into visible overdrive. Despite Justice Katakey, appointed by the Meghalaya High Court to head the committee monitoring coal transportation and allied issues, raised the issue of illegal coal mining in few districts including East Jaintia Hills, the crackdown appears to have gathered pace only after tragedy struck.
Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Home (Police) Prestone Tynsong on Friday said the 2014 ban imposed by the National Green Tribunal on illegal coal mining had affected every section of society, particularly in the coal belt areas where livelihoods were closely tied to the trade. He indicated that illegal rat-hole mining continued not merely due to organised interests but also because of economic compulsions that impacted both the poor and the affluent alike.
“When NGT banned illegal Coal mining in the state, it affected everybody every citizen of the state, so therefore, why now illegal rat hole mining happens, so, he don’t blame only only the rich people, but everybody seems to be involved in these activities may be for question of survival,” Tynsong said.
He noted that scientific mining projects were nearing operational status but illegal extraction continued unabated. “These three or four of Scientific Coal mines, which is more or less ready. They have just started installation of the Machineries so on and so forth. But again as I said to you this illegal rat hole mining is still taking place.”
Defending the government’s record since the ban came into force, he said repeated directions had been issued to district authorities. “So time and again, as I said to you throughout the state, the decision taken by the government, right from 2014 till today, we keep telling, we keep directing the respective Deputy Commissioner, the district administration to make sure that illegal Rat hole mining should Stop, and till this moment also, we did that. But now, what happened? That incident that has happened recently again we have specifically directed the district administration of East Jaintia Hills to go all out and make sure that the closure (of illegal coal mines) happen wherever it is located.”
On whether a mining mafia was at play, Tynsong said the issue ran deeper. “I don’t say wheather Mafia or not Mafia, but let me tell you one thing, this issue is very deep. The moment the National Green Tribunal stop the illegal mining activities because of Certain provision of Central Act is not fulfilled. 2014 onwards, it really affect the economy , it really affected the livelihood of our citizens in the state and especially in those areas where we call it coal belt. It happened.”
He stressed that the economic impact was not limited to any single class. “So see what happened when this ban came into affect, it did not affect only for the poor people, it affected even their rich people. So it affected to everybody to every citizen of the state, so therefore, why now illegal rat hole mining happens, so, I don’t blame only only the rich people, but everybody seems to be involved in these activities may be for question of survival.”
Even so, he asserted that enforcement would now be uncompromising. “But government is all out to make sure that the closure happens, no matter how far or how near the illegal Coal mines located.”
Describing the Thangsko blast as “the saddest unfortunate incident,” Tynsong signalled a sharper response. “But when you come back to this, I should say the saddest unfortunate incident has happened, as I said to you, we need to come out heavily, now or no more and we have to really react Very, very heavily on this incident what has happened.”
He also questioned claims that illegal mining was purely a livelihood issue. “Because see more or less when the arrest are made, the issue is that we are compelled to because of livelihood, but when you say livelihood where did you get so many labourers, from different parts of our country. So, therefore, our point is very clear that we will not allow illegal activities to happen in the state. But it has happened and now the response also very very strong by the Government and we will ensure this doesn’t happen.”
