Amidst the allegations of rampant illegal coal mining in the state, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma underlined that the government has not remained passive, stressing that thousands of cases have been filed, numerous mines have been shut down and multiple enforcement actions have been taken over the years. He asserted that the issue cannot be reduced to accusations of inaction, as the state continues to clamp down on violations even while navigating a deeply complicated transition from a mining system that sustained lakhs of families for two centuries to a regulated, scientific and safer framework. He maintained that the present challenge stems not only from legal mandates but from the socio-economic realities of a community historically dependent on coal, making the shift far more complex than a simple administrative order.
Sangma said, “whenever there have been cases, where we have been given information about facts and mining, Illegal mining has been happening. The government has acted and thousand of cases have been filed, thousands of Chargesheet have been done, many, many actions, and fines have been made, many mines have been closed down. So action is happening.” He added, “But as I said, one has to remember and realise and you know that this thing that we call illegal was legal before and suddenly one day just to get up and says it is illegal, it is not so simple for people to simply go away.”
Emphasising the need for sustainable alternatives, he said, “For livelihood to be sustainable in the long run, alternatives have to be given to people. Now, if you want an alternative to mining, then you have to come with a scientific mining.” Sangma reiterated that the transition “from rat hole mining to a scientific and a safe mining” is in progress but requires time, investment and multiple procedural permissions “from Delhi, from coal Ministry, from CMPDIL, from government of Meghalaya.”
He said the government remains firm on enforcement. “While we move and transition into a phase of having a more safer mining system and the transition of having more scientific mining system, there will be certain issues and cases that come up. They could be certain incidents, but as a government, as I said for us, the rule of law is important. And therefore we do implement it. Whenever we get information, we act on it. We have close down many mines and have filed cases against many people like to continue to do that.”
At the same time, he urged a humane understanding of the socio-economic realities. “But I think as I said while they look at the administrative and the legal aspect and judicial aspect to it, we also need to realise the social aspect, the livelihood aspect and understand the humane side of why this is happening,” he stated. For miners and families dependent on coal “for hundreds of years, families and generations, and generations,” he said the sudden shift has been destabilising.
Referring to the long history of mining in Meghalaya, he noted, “2014 and before for 200 years, the mining was done in the way rat hole mining or tunnel mining whatever you call it and lakhs and lakhs of families were involved in it, and suddenly you come and say that the same thing which was okay and legal for 200 years is from tomorrow illegal.”
Sangma said this upheaval is not easy for communities whose survival is linked to coal. “It takes time for them to come out of that mode where livelihood is dependant, their lives, the families and dependant on that, other businesses are the dependent on that and therefore it’s not a very simple thing,” he said. He added that dismissing the issue as mere illegality overlooks the lived reality of miners: “It’s very easy today just to say, oh it’s illegal, and for 200 years it was legal. And suddenly one day somebody wakes up and said oh it’s not legal anymore, it’s illegal. Question is it’s a fair for the person who is on the ground earning his or her livelihood and supporting his or family.”
He concluded that the government machinery at all levels is working to implement the mandate despite its inherent complexities, noting that “all the government machinery, Police, Legal, everybody’s been involved, or the Judiciary is involved trying to implement this mandate which as I said is very complicated, keeping in mind the history of 200 years.”
