Shillong, Feb 24: The state government is pushing to reduce the 100-hectare requirement for scientific coal mining, with talks under way to bring it down to 10 hectares, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said on Monday.
“Now, we have started negotiation with them, saying, ‘20 people, but then most of our miners are small-time miners. Can we now reduce this whole criteria and bring it down to 10 hectares? …that discussion is on now, we’re going to keep fighting, we keep working,” Sangma told reporters.
He described the launch of the license system and scientific mining process as a “very great step”, adding, “Now, we will keep working on seeing how we can make it even better by reducing the number of hectares from 100, maybe 50 or maybe 40, if possible, to 5 or 10 also.”
Asked, the chief minister defended the government’s decision to agree to a 100-hectare requirement for scientific coal mining, saying it was a “very difficult call” made to kickstart the process.
“In Meghalaya, the land holding system is different, different laws and rules had to be created… we were going on an uncharted path and we didn’t know the outcome,” Sangma explained.
He said the Centre had made it clear that 100 hectares was “not negotiable” if Meghalaya wanted “serious players”.
“So I had to take a call… I decided, let it start. I may not be able to get all the 20 points that I am asking for… we will come back to this at a later stage,” he said, adding that miners were now being asked to come together to meet the 100-hectare requirement.
