Shillong, June 26: The state government is actively working to resolve the mining impasse, said Khliehriat MLA and UDP leader Kyrmen Shylla on Friday.
Speaking to reporters, Shylla said the open-cast model cleared by the Centre cannot be applied in East Jaintia Hills due to local geological constraints.
Asserting that the the government is doing its job (to provide relief to the small miners), he said, “We cannot expect things to happen within a few days, but we will give the government time… As of now, the government is on the job.”
Making it clear that, Meghalaya’s coal deposits demand a different approach in mining, Shylla said, “It is underground mining, but it might not be like in other states. We have a small seam…”
He also said trials of open-cast mining, as prescribed by the Centre, had already failed on the ground.
“We accept it and we have tried, but we cannot implement it…that made us request the government to make some changes,” he said.
“We have done our job by submitting the memorandum to the Chief Minister on how mining should be carried out. After that, the rest lies with the state government and the court,” Shylla said.
‘UDP stable for now’
The UDP leader, meanwhile, said party remains stable for now, but it would field new candidates and retain seats, if any member decides to quit ahead of elections.
Stating that real alignments only become clear during polls, he said, “Not only the UDP, but any political party is stable in its own way. It is only when elections come, that we will know.”
“We cannot comment on anyone’s mind,” he said.
However, he said, the party is prepared for withdrawals.
“We have to make sure that those voters who voted for us will vote for our candidate again in any constituency and that we revive the seat,” he said.
On reports of discontent within the party, he said, “Maybe they have their own personal feelings, so we cannot comment. But as a party, as a team, we are united.”
