State to explore mining in below 100-hectare area

Shillong, Feb 23: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said on Monday that the state government will explore the possibility of scientific mining in areas below 100 hectares.

Speaking to reporters, the chief minister said the state government had agreed to mining in a 100-hectare area, considering the urgency of opening scientific mining.

“We will explore mining in areas less than 100 hectares”, the chief minister said.

The standard operating procedure (SOP) notified on March 5, 2021, by the state government insists that the granting of prospecting licence and mining lease for coal will depend on miners having an area of not less than 100 hectares.

Answering another question, the chief minister said the government has already ordered an inquiry into the absence of a doctor at the Community Health Centre when Shillong MP Ricky Syngkon was brought after he collapsed in the Futsal field in Mawiong.

“The health minister will be able to give you the answer”, he said.