Shillong, Aug 17: The Jaintia National Council has raised an objection to the state government’s land clause for coal mining.
In a memorandum submitted to the secretary of Mining and Geology, E Kharmalki, on Thursday the council said the standard operating procedure that mandates owing not less than 100 ha of land for procuring a coal mining lease is “shocking”.
“The provision is grabbing the attention of the local coal miners and dealers, as they could possibly understand that only a few local coal miners who possessed the specified area of land could engage in the mining activities. 1 00 ha is a huge area and it is a challenge for majority of the local coal miners and dealers who barely makes a living from coal mining to acquire such land,” said JNC president Sambormi Lyngdoh in a media statement.
The clause is not at all favouring the majority of local coal miners and dealers, he added.
The council had already submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on May 5 for reviewing the SOPs in coal mining.
Lyngdoh pointed out that local coal miners and dealers who were engaged in the business for more than three decades would be deprived of their rights if the SOP is implemented as they are not in a position to possess such area of land.
JNC also raised concerns about the SOP that mentions “an agreement between landowner and applicant, where the applicant is not the owner of the land in question”.
“From the said provision, it is clearly understandable that the word ‘applicant’ could be any person or any company that wishes to engage in such coal mining activities in the district would enter into an agreement with the local land owners without any stringent restriction,” the JNC statement said.
JNC pointed out that such SOPs would pave the way for an applicant who is a non-tribal or a company to enter into such an agreement with a local land owner for undergoing coal mining activities in the district. “And this kind of agreement will take away the rights of the local people, local coal miners and dealers who solely depend on coal mining and its related activities for livelihood,” it added.
JNC said Meghalaya is governed through a special provision of the Sixth Schedule and so the land is solely owned by the local people.
Kharmalki said he would forward the issue to the Law Department for necessary action.
Kharmalki also said there will be a meeting between the state government and the Ministry of Coal over the 100-ha clause and that there will be a reduction in the land size.
