M’laya govt to take a final call on report related to scientific mining of coal

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaAugust 14, 2019

SHILLONG: The state government will soon take a final decision on the feasibility of the report related to a study conducted on scientific mining in the USA which was submitted by an expert team in 2005. 

The matter was informed before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) committee during a meeting held here on Wednesday. 

After the meeting, Chairman of the Committee retired Justice BP Katakey told reporters that there was an expert team which had gone to USA to conduct a study on the matter and a report was submitted to the government in 2005. 

“Today we have been informed that no decision till date from 2005 has been taken but the government is considering that report. Now they (govt) are going to take a final decision on the feasibility of the report,” he said. 

Earlier, the NGT committee had said that the introduction of ‘highwall mining method’ is the only alternative to unscientific rat-hole mining of coal in Meghalaya. This method would require the use of machines for extracting the coal. 

Asked, Katakey however said for the individual coal miner to go for scientific mining, it may not be economically feasible. 

“Therefore, there has to be a group (or cooperative) formed because the cost of the project may be economically not viable to the amount of coal extracted or to be extracted by individual coal miners,” he said. 

On the issue of treatment of acidic water in coal rich districts, the chairman said that the committee has received few proposals which included from Trinity International for treatment of acidic water by means of micro algae. 

He added that a proposal related to afforestation was also submitted by the Ecological Task Force under the control of the Ministry of Defense. The task force is comprising of ex-servicemen.

In view of this, Katakey said that a sub-committee of experts was already constituted to look into this matter and submit their findings to the NGT committee for its decision.