SHILLONG, AUG 29: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has clarified that only four coal mining licences have been cleared and plans have been submitted to the government, which are currently under process.
In a reply tabled in the Assembly on Thursday, Sangma said out of the 36 mining licence applications received by the government, four received previous approval for mining lease, 13 have received previous approval for prospecting license, 16 have not yet received prospecting license approval while three have withdrawn.
As per the Government of India’s norm, the minimum area for obtaining a prospecting license is 100 hectares, he said.
Sangma also clarified that rat-hole mining cannot be considered as scientific mining.
