Mining plans to be approved by Central Govt agencies: Meghalaya CM

He added that the process of finalizing the mining plans is tedious as land holding rules are different in Meghalaya than other states

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma refused on comment on whether opencast progressive scientific coal mining would be feasible for the state asd he is not an expert on the matter and said that the mining plans will be approved by Central Government agencies.

Speaking to media, Sangma said, “I am not an expert on mining plans and hence I don’t want to comment on all those aspects but all the plans will be approved by Central Government agencies.”
He added that the process of finalizing the mining plans is tedious as land holding rules are different in Meghalaya as compared to other states.

“The process of course is tedious as there are aspects of land holding which are different in Meghalaya compared to other states. Hence, the policies that apply here are different from the rest of the country. Keeping all these factors in mind, the fact that it is happening for the first time things are taking a bit longer than we would want to,” Sangma said.

He added that once a process is put into place, in the following months and years the process will be much easier.

“We are happy that things are moving in the right direction and we will speak more when the process eventually happens,” Sangma further added.

Yesterday, Meghalaya Governor Phagu Chauhan, in his address at the Meghalaya Assembly Budget session said that scientific coal mining in Meghalaya is expected to be implemented soon in the state. Chauhan added that 6 out of 17 applicants have obtained approval from the Central Government for grant of license.

Scientific coal mining in Meghalaya is an issue of concern to environmentalists as concerns are raised over the effect of such measures on the rivers and environment of the state.

Also Read: Scientific coal mining only way to protect environment, people: Meghalaya BJP leader Al Hek

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