Shillong, Mar 17: A decade of silence that once cast a pall of gloom for miners across the dark mines that dotted the landscape, the rumble of coal mining is finally set to return to Meghalaya as the state’s first scientific coal mining operation was inaugurated by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma through a video conference at Saryngkham- a coal mine in Byndihati, East Jaintia Hills on Monday.
This will be a mining away from the echoes of the controversial ‘rat-hole’ method, with a promise of a more sustainable future- a turning point in the state’s economy after an eleven-year hiatus.
Meghalaya’s economy has, for generations, been fuelled by the revenue generated from coal mining- in the traditional and often ecological disruptive rat hole mining system.
For countless families in Meghalaya, their livelihoods had been intertwined with the once-booming coal industry until environmental degradation compelled the country’s top environmental court- National Green Tribunal, to clamp down on the mining and announce a complete ban on rat-hole mining in the year 2014.
Failure to get coal mining back on track- through a scientific process, cost the then Congress Government under Chief Minister Mukul Sangma very dearly.
Instead, it propelled the NPP party under the leadership of Conrad K Sangma to power with the assurance of restoring the mining rights of the people through a more sustainable and environmentally friendly mining.
On Monday, while inaugurating the first scientific coal mining project, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma hailed the launch as a “historic occasion.”
“The difficulties that our people were going through really drove us,” Chief Minister Sangma stated, reflecting on the arduous journey to revive mining in a responsible manner. He emphasized that addressing the coal mining ban was a top priority for his government in 2018, and the resumption of operations was a testament to the “hard work” of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government.
He congratulated all stakeholders, including government officials, mine owners, and lease applicants, for making scientific mining a reality in the State. He particularly acknowledged the efforts of the mine lease owner, Dapmain Shylla of Byndihati, and recalled that the past 10 to 11 years had been extremely difficult for many citizens, especially those whose livelihoods were directly or indirectly tied to the coal industry, as they endured financial hardships due to the coal mining ban.
He recalled that in 2018, when he became the Chief Minister for the first time, leading the MDA Government, the issue of coal mining ban was accorded top priority by the government with the hard work in the last 6-7 years having yielded fruits through the inauguration of the 1st Scientific Mining Coal Block in Meghalaya.
“The journey wasn’t so easy. The journey wasn’t very clear. In fact, it was like moving through uncharted territory, not knowing what challenge would come up in front of us while we moved forward, what kept us going was to see that the difficulties that our people are going through, we must find a way to resolve this and bring back normalcy for our people and our citizens, and that’s what really drove us,” he recalled.
The Chief Minister also said that the process of ensuring that other applicants receive the same mining permissions and are able to start mining in a scientific manner is on. “It is always complicated and difficult for the first one or two or three of them, because they are moving in uncharted territory, not knowing what challenges may suddenly crop up and delay the process, but now that there has already been somebody who has moved and seen everything, it is now going to be easier for others who are behind now to move forward, because they have shown the way, they have cleared the way and they have managed to now show to others that this is how we have to follow the procedure,” he said.
He pointed out that Meghalaya faced additional challenges beyond technology, including land ownership and land rights issues that are different from the rest of the country. These complexities, he said, contributed to the delays in making scientific mining a reality. He expressed optimism that with the inauguration of the first scientific coal mine, many more would follow, and the government would continue encouraging interested applicants to take up scientific mining as a standard practice.
He also assured that the state government is working hard and efforts are on to engage with the government of India to find ways in which even the traditional miners and small-time miners can soon start their mining.
Sutnga-Saipung MLA Santa Mary Shylla expressed her gratitude to the Chief Minister for his leadership in making scientific coal mining a reality. She voiced her optimism that his vision of transforming Meghalaya into a 10-billion-dollar economy by 2028 would indeed come to fruition, fueled in part by this renewed chapter in the state’s mining history.
As the first scientific mining operation commences, it showcases the return of a booming industry, with a more regulated and environmentally conscious approach to harnessing Meghalaya’s rich mineral resources.
