Nongkrem MLA Ardent M Basaiawmoit of the Voice of the People Party (VPP) voiced support in the Assembly today for the plight of small scale sand miners, saying that the state government should come up with specific guidelines for people engaged in the activity rather than correlating sand and stone mining with that of coal.
Stating that sand and stone mining has been a source of livelihood for thousands of families across the state, Basaiawmoit said that people engaged in this occupation have informed him that they have received letters from the Forest Department declaring that their activities are illegal.
“It is a matter of fact that these mining areas are not cultivable land and people engaged in these mining activities are involved with traditional methods of mining and most of those mine owners are holding a very small amount of land,” the opposition MLA said.
According to him, the state’s mines and mineral concession rules are too strict and limiting. Instead, he proposed that the government create specific rules for small scale sand miners and stone quarriers, whose products are used locally.
