United Democratic Party (UDP) leader Bindo M Lanong today stated that there should be a judicial inquiry on the alleged illegal coal mining in Meghalaya.
“Illegal coal mining by private players is happening and it seems that many are involved. If trucks are still transporting coal at odd hours of the night and are not apprehended, then the government needs to come clean and not continue to give eyewash explanations as to why these kinds of illegal and shady deals are still happening,” Lanong told Highland Post.
He urged the public to demand an inquiry en masse, adding that pressure groups should throw their weight behind the demand as well so that matters of relevance are unearthed.
“We all know that coal mining is still not permitted in Meghalaya and, despite the lockdown, when everything else is restricted, mining activities are going on,” the former Deputy Chief Minister stated.
Even an inquiry conducted by the National Green Tribunal, which was the body that put an end to the practice of rat-hole mining, which was prevalent in Meghalaya before the 2014 ban.
The UDP is a member of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance coalition that is in power in the state.
While the opposition Congress Party has challenged the junior partners in government to quit if they are unhappy with its functioning, Lanong said that the UDP is not willing to ditch the National People’s Party (NPP) only to bring the Congress back into power, or, as he put it in Khasi, “na u khla ha u thlen” (from the tiger to the mythological serpent creature).
The UDP had been in coalition with the Congress prior to the 2013 state election, with Lanong as a Deputy CM.
If the UDP, which is the second-strongest party in the alliance, quits, the Congress might not be able to form a government and the UDP would then be blamed if President’s Rule is imposed by the central government, he added.
Lanong also took a dig at the Congress, specifically the CM he formerly served, Dr Mukul Sangma, as his government in 2011 did not implement the mining policy that Lanong was instrumental in forming. Meanwhile, the UDP is also ready to welcome an inquiry into the so-called rice scam, which made the headlines last week, but would not itself push for one.
Allegations and suspicions exist that rice meant for mothers and children under a central government scheme have been siphoned off to be resold by a private company, with the acquiescence of government figures.
Social Welfare Minister Kyrmen Shylla, who is of the UDP, “had already welcomed any kind of inquiry on the rice scam allegation, so it is meaningless for us to again demand an inquiry into the matter,” Lanong argued.
