The ruling class and illegal mining in Meghalaya
Abhishek Saha - Beyond the tragedy, for state’s politicians, mining their own business
TWO weeks after 15 workers in Meghalaya were trapped while mining coal using the “rat-hole technique,” and are feared dead now, Lok Sabha MP from Shillong constituency Vincent H Pala (50) told the House Thursday this should be “regularised”. This method - with narrow tunnels dug in mountains for workers to move through and extract coal - was slammed as illegal, unscientific and harmful, and banned by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on April 17, 2014.
TWO weeks after 15 workers in Meghalaya were trapped while mining coal using the “rat-hole technique,” and are feared dead now, Lok Sabha MP from Shillong constituency Vincent H Pala (50) told the House Thursday this should be “regularised”. This method - with narrow tunnels dug in mountains for workers to move through and extract coal - was slammed as illegal, unscientific and harmful, and banned by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on April 17, 2014.
Pala made this demand
but what he did not spell out was that he was also a prominent coal businessman
in the state. The Congress MP, a native of East Jaintia Hills district and an
engineer by qualification, has been vocal about lifting the NGT ban on illegal
coal mining in the state. In fact, Pala isn’t the only one. About a dozen
politicians allegedly own coal mines themselves or have relatives as mine
owners and were named by a Citizens’ Report prepared by civil society groups in
Meghalaya and submitted to the Supreme Court earlier this month.
The report, submitted through the amicus curiae in the case, Colin Gonsalves, lists Pala, four ministers in the Conrad Sangma-led government and seven MLAs alleging these men or their relatives are coal-mine owners. “This is just a sample from the political class — an independent audit of coal mines will reveal that many bureaucrats, technocrats, police people are involved in mining business,” the report said. Alleging collusion between politicians, the state machinery and mine owners, the report cited this as a primary reason for illegal mining in the state despite the ban.
“NGT ruling has been
flouted as there is a serious conflict of interest with many ministers, MLAs,
MDCs, Administrators who are involved in coal mining. For eg. in the current
govt as well as previous govt and currently in the opposition, (there are) MLAs
and ministers (who) are coal miners, weigh-bridge owners and operators and /or
transporters.”.. read more:
https://indianexpress.com/article/north-east-india/meghalaya/meghalaya-mine-collapse-beyond-the-tragedy-for-states-politicians-mining-their-own-business-5514435/
