Shillong,May 14: The Jaintia Coal Owners, Miners, Suppliers & Workers Association (JCOMSWA) wanted the state government to start responsible coal mining by the land owners
In a memorandum to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Thursday, the association pointed out the Supreme Court’s recognition of tribal ownership of minerals as the legal foundation for resolving the deadlock over coal mining in the state.
“We believe, and we are advised, that the Constitution of India and the existing framework of laws contain within them the tools necessary to resolve this crisis,” JCOMSWA said.
“The recognition by the Supreme Court of India that the tribal people of Meghalaya are the lawful owners of the minerals beneath their land is a foundation upon which a just and lawful solution can be built.”
The group said the impasse since the 2014 National Green Tribunal ban has left tribal landowners in the Jaintia Hills in disarray.
JCOMSWA made clear it was not seeking a rollback to past practices.
“We are not asking for a return to the unregulated, dangerous, and environmentally reckless rat-hole mining of the past. We are not asking that the law be ignored,” the memorandum said.
Instead, they wanted the state to take the lead in forging institutional coordination.
“What is required is the political will to use those tools, and the institutional commitment to coordinate between the Government of Meghalaya, the Autonomous District Councils, and the Government of India,” the association said.
JCOMSWA said it remains available to assist the Chief Minister’s office with information or community consultations.
A protest was held on Thursday by an individual holding a placard that read “no coal, no food, no lives,”
Reginal Shylla, a resident of Khliehriat in East Jaintia Hills, protested by walking from the State Central Library to Malki ground on Thursday.
He threatened to launch an indefinite hunger strike against the ban on coal mining and its impact on thousands of families.
Shylla was forced to call off the strike after the district administration denied him permission. He said the protest was intended to press the state government to formulate a mining policy suited to the district to end what he called a 12-year crisis.
“We demand from the government to reopen coal mining, that is traditional scientific coal mining which the public can work on according to the nature of the land in our state of Meghalaya,” Shylla added.
