Mukul accuses MDA govt of depriving miners, state by encouraging illegal coal mining

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaAugust 20, 2022

Leader of Opposition Mukul Sangma on Saturday accused the National People’s Party-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government of depriving the coal miners and the state of its revenue due to the alleged ongoing illegal mining of coal in the state.

Addressing the launching of the membership drive at Pynthorumkhrah, Sangma said, “This is the government, who has deprived the coal miners. This is the government who has deprived the resources which are accrued to the state’s exchequer to legal mining because illegal mining continues and when illegal mining continues the resources don’t come to the government. The state is deprived of the resources and revenue.”

He said the district councils, who also have the share of such resources, are also being deprived.

“You will be disturbed to know that for more than 3 years, the employees of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) have not been paid their salaries. How insensitive this government is and how the ugly face of irregularities and corruption is manifesting itself, you can easily understand,” Sangma added.

Referring to the 2019 judgment of the Supreme Court, which lifted the NGT ban on coal mining in Meghalaya, the former chief minister however questioned the failure of the MDA government to complete the whole exercise to facilitate and start legal mining.

According to him, legal mining will ensure that the state is not deprived of the revenue resources besides the multiple opportunities that open up for the livelihood of the poor people and the owners of the land.  

“However, today this government is the reason for the deprivation of all these opportunities. Why has the government rob the people of the opportunity to realized benefits out of the resources by completing the whole necessary measures for enabling legal mining,” he said

Stating that the then Congress-led state government had come up with the Meghalaya Mining Development and Regulation Policy in 2012, Sangma however said, “The same people who were in the government were the people who are responsible to mislead the people that we don’t implement the policy.”

He said the then state government had from 2014 onwards also filed affidavits to indicate in NGT and Supreme Court about the unique system of land holding in Meghalaya that ownership of the land and resources are vested with the people.

“And because of this persistence reminder from the state government of Meghalaya through various affidavits…the Supreme Court took cognizance of this reality…(and) recognized this right and give a judgment saying that yes in the state of Meghalaya coal mining should be started and all the owners of the land will have the right on the coal under the surface of the land. This is what our government did through the various stands of the government that we filed before the Supreme Court through affidavit,” he said.

Stating that the government of the day did not understand this, the leader of opposition recalled that is why in the Assembly once the Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma while replying to a query said yes for the legal mining the government will issue the mining lease.

“We had to remind the Chief Minister and the government that if the land owner is somebody else, they cannot give a mining lease. Therefore, the powers and the right to give mining lease is vested with the land owners. We had to remind the chief minister because of his ignorance of the judgment of the Supreme Court. That proceeding is on record in the Assembly,” he said.

On the death of a miner due to illegal mining in West Khasi Hills, Sangma said that illegal mining is taking place because the government of the day has with complete impunity try to encourage illegal mining for the best reasons known to them.

He said the failure of the government to take action, the perpetrators of this illegality have only gotten emboldened as there is no fear for law.

“That is why I say that means the government has adopted the modus operandi to facilitate these illegal mining and benefit against the interests of the people and the state and at the cost of the name and fame of the state,” he said adding “Today the state is being defame because of these illegalities. We are ashamed of these things, that’s why this is the time when people have to take cognizance of the evil intent of the government, insensitivity of the government and utilize their power, power of changing the government back to the people.”

Lambasting the MDA government on education, Sangma said, “Our children are deprived of textbooks, uniforms and assistance that the government used to previously provide for learning. The MDA government has deprived our children in multiple ways. They have terminated ad-hoc teachers and did not recruit from the MTET.”

Expressing his concern about the future generation, he said, “Children cannot pursue vocational education in the state, compelling parents to send their children away from Meghalaya. The medical colleges in Shillong and Tura are non-existent, thereby depriving innumerable children of our state who are seeking a degree in medicine.”

Earlier, TMC State President, Charles Pyngrope today said, “Irrespective of religion, caste, creed, and colour, we will bring a positive change to the lives of every person in Meghalaya.”

At the event, Samborlang Diengdoh, a young entrepreneur and Convenor of the Pynthorumkhrah constituency, revealed his motivation to join Meghalaya TMC.

He said, “In our state, the struggle of women is unthinkable. Meghalaya TMC, as a party, focuses on the emancipation of women and this has motivated me the most to join Trinamool Congress. Also, Trinamool Congress is the only party that embodies the democratic and secular spirit of Meghalaya.”

Questioning the proxy-BJP MDA government’s intent, he beseeched, “NPP has the money to promote itself outside Meghalaya, but it does not have enough to pay our teachers. Where is the revenue going? Why is the MDA government not paying our teachers? Why did they have to sleep on the streets to get their rightful salary?”

To secure equal opportunities in education for the youth of the constituency, Diengdoh further said, “There are no colleges in the constituency. When elected, we will build one college to cater to the needs of our students from poor families.”

Meanwhile, the TMC said it will continue to be the voice of the people while the proxy-BJP MDA government continues to strategize how to retain power rather than addressing the substandard educational infrastructure, rising unemployment and infrastructural collapse in the state. With a united cadre, Meghalaya TMC pledges to work earnestly to fulfil its promises keeping the interests of the people as its topmost priority, it stated.