In Meghalaya, this has additionally resulted in the displacement of the indigenous people of the state, culminating in a ban on coal mining by the National Green Tribunal. Considering that coal mining provides seven to eight percent of the state's GDP, the ban has adversely impacted Meghalaya's finances.
Coal mining. Coal is an important mineral resource of Meghalaya and is mined through a primitive mining method commonly known as rat-hole mining. The coal deposits present on the hill-slopes and along the riversides are mined by 'side-cutting'. However, coal present underground in plain land is mined through a shaft/pit by the 'box cutting ...
But the nationalized coal mining industry of India operates in Meghalaya through Coal India Limited (CIL). CIL is a state-owned mining conglomerate that was established in 1975 with the intent of combatting market fluctuations in the mineral sector.
Since coal in Meghalaya is located at shallow levels, the mines are narrow shafts approximately of approximately three feet in diameter. They can go up to about 300-350 feet down. Coal is lifted out of the shafts in small wooden boxes brought up by cranes and then dumped by the roadside and then loaded on to trucks.
The National Green Tribunal has banned coal mining until safer, more environmentally sound policies and practices are in place. Critics in Meghalaya claim that the ban encroaches on the tribal way of life and point to constitutional provisions exempting Meghalaya from the purview of national mining laws.
Meghalaya reported its latest accident in a rat-hole mine two weeks ago. On 31 May, five miners reportedly from Assam and Tripura trapped in a coal mine in East Jaintia Hills District after a dynamite blast led to flooding of water from a nearby water source. The rescue operation to find the miners is still going on.
Q.Despite a ban, rat-hole mining continues to prevail as an important practice in Meghalaya. What are the issues associated with it? Discuss. (150W) Rat Hole Mining. It is a primitive and hazardous method of mining for coal, with tunnels that are only 3-4 feet in diameter (hence, rat-hole), leading to pits ranging from 5-100 sq. mt deep.
1. Meghalaya, Jaintia Hills and the coal mining industry 2. Child labour in India and Meghalaya 3. Child trafficking in India, Nepal and Bangladesh 4. Legal framework IV. Overview of Findings 1. Structure of the coal mines 2. Rat holes and work deep inside 3. Reality of labourers‟ situation V. Interviews 1. Summary of Interviews 2.
The NGT ruling elicited fierce protests by coal mine owners and transport workers and a range of political parties and civil society organisations have also opposed the ban, invoking their belief in the Sixth Schedule. However, Meghalaya comes under the ambit of the central law, the Coal (Mines) Nationalisation Act, 1973.
Yet, illegal extraction of coal continues in the state. Pralhad Joshi, Union Coal and Mines Minister, told Rajya Sabha in February 2021 that a total of 250 cases related to illegal coal mining had been registered in Meghalaya since March 2019. Meanwhile, the state government under fire for being lenient on illegal mining has promised action.
The Department of Mining & Geology was created out of its parent Department of Assam Government during the bifurcation of the State of Meghalaya in the year 1972. The Directorate of Mineral Resources (DMR) under the administrative control of the Department of Mining & Geology with its Headquarter at Shillong has 2 (two) Divisional Mining ...
Meghalaya has, however, been an outlier to this process. Extraction of coal in the state is governed by the Mines and Minerals Policy of 2012, which was found wanting on safety provisions by the NGT. After the East Jaintia Hills tragedy, Meghalaya's chief minister, Conrad Sangma, has acknowledged the existence of unscientific mining in the state.
NGT TO DECIDE THE FATE OF COAL MINING IN MEGHALAYA TODAY NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) will finally pronounce its orders today on transportation of the extracted coal as well as reopening of coal mining in the state of Meghalaya after three days of hearing and deliberation on the matter.
These Slides give us an overview on the coal mining in the Indian State of Meghalaya and also deals with the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010. Captive consumption means goods are not sold but is consumed by the factory itself. Ministry of Labour & Indian Bureau of Mines:- All mining Labour laws (Mines Act, 1952) regarding safety & health of ...
Meghalaya elections Smarting from ban coal miners want Scroll. Feb 13 2018 It may have been almost four years ago but most people in Meghalaya 39 s Jaintia Hills remember the exact date the National Green Tribunal banned rat hole mining of coal in the state April 17 2014 The rat hole technique entails digging small vertical pits to reach the mineral and carving narrow sideways
The Meghalaya box mine is a fiercesome sight. At the surface, it appears as a nearly perfect square of dark, empty air measuring 10 by 10 meters (32 feet). The sides of the mine, cut from limestone and sandstone, typically plunge 60 to 70 meters (197 to 230 feet) straight down to the coal seams at the black bottom.
Meghalaya remains a major spot for coal mine tragedies, mainly due to rampant 'rat-hole' mining wherein narrow tunnels are dug up to extract coal. Accidents such as cave-ins are common in these mines. Considering the dangers involved in the process, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had banned 'rat hole' coal mines in 2014, labelling them ...
New Delhi: Indian Navy divers have recovered one body after six days of operations to find five miners trapped in a flooded coal mine in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district. In one of the most physically and tactically daunting operations, a 12-member Indian Navy diving team was pressed into action since June 12 to search for the five miners trapped in the …
Sangma, the AITC's Meghalaya parliamentary party chief, said the government has to act in the interest of the state and its people. He insisted that the illegal activities in the coal-bearing districts of South West Khasi Hills, West Khasi Hills, South Garo Hills and East Jaintia Hills have been happening because of the government's patronage.