Shillong, Mar 15: Under fire for failing to check rampant illegal mining and transportation of coal in the state, Meghalaya government on Tuesday approved The Meghalaya Mineral (Prevention of illegal Mining Transportation Storage) Rules, 2022.

Cabinet today approved the Meghalaya Mineral (Prevention of Illegal Mining Transportation Storage) Rules 2022. This encompasses the proper monitoring of illegal transportation, storage of minerals and to regulate issuance of transport challans. @JoshiPralhad pic.twitter.com/PiWFUypJ8O

— Conrad Sangma (@SangmaConrad) March 15, 2022

Addressing media persons after the cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said the rules have been mandated as per Section 23 (C) of the MMDR Act, for checking transportation and issuance of transport challan, regulate the storage of minerals and to monitor the illegal transportation.

He said though the mandate was there, the rules were never there in the government of Meghalaya for the past 30-40 years since the MMDR Act came out.

Based on this, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had then made provisions on their own to monitor the movement of the trucks, storage of the minerals and transportation challans, he said adding that NGT had made an observation that the government of Meghalaya should come out with the rules at the earliest.

“(Accordingly), we are following the orders (of the NGT by coming up with the rules to regulate the issuance of transport challan, storage of minerals and monitor illegal transportation,” he added.

The cabinet decision also came at a time when the Meghalaya High Court has taken cognizance of the rampant illegal coal mining and transportation in the state.

In its order passed on March 7, the division bench of the Meghalaya High Court had directed that the directions issued by the Supreme Court have to be complied with.

It had said that the orders passed by the NGT need to be followed and the recommendations made by the committee set up by the NGT, several of which have been expressly approved by the Supreme Court, have to be implemented.

“These directions and recommendations have been set out point by point and the Chief Secretary will deal specifically with each of the directions and recommendations and file a report, when the matter appears four weeks hence, as to the action taken,” the bench had said.

Meanwhile, the bench further observed that the state has done precious little to ensure the transportation of the coal that had been previously mined and the auction thereof through Coal India Limited as per the directions of the Supreme Court and the NGT, which has resulted in the present unacceptable scenario.

It is more than likely that a committee may be set up to monitor the implementation of the directions and recommendations, which the committee must have the freedom and authority to function without any political interference, it had said.