Editor,
The revelations from the Meghalaya High Court expose a disturbing reality: illegal coal mining continues unabated in the state, facilitated not just by shadowy operators but by the appalling inaction and indifference of the state government. The fact that Judge BP Katakey’s 31st report identifies massive discrepancies between official records and actual coal found on the ground—such as the laughable 2.5 MT found in place of the recorded 1839 MT at Diengngan—points not to clerical errors but to a deliberate and organised cover-up.
Even more outrageous is that despite repeated judicial interventions and the filing of FIRs, no substantial action has followed. This signals a deeper malaise: the system meant to regulate mining has been completely compromised. Illegal coal continues to be extracted, transported, and sold with impunity, often under the very noses of the authorities tasked with preventing it.
What is particularly damning is the state government’s inability—or unwillingness—to prosecute the offenders, trace the missing coal, or hold any officials accountable. The MBDA’s own figures are being rendered meaningless by this erosion of law and order. This is not just administrative failure; it is state complicity.
The High Court’s sharp observations should be a wake-up call, but unless strong, transparent, and time-bound action is taken, Meghalaya will continue to be seen as a lawless frontier where environmental norms and Supreme Court directives are casually flouted. The rampant illegal coal trade, enabled by deafening silence and invisible action, is fast turning into one of the state’s most shameful scandals.
Yours etc.
A concerned citizen
