Chief Minister Conrad Sangma today said that transition of mining from the traditional method of mining that the miners of the State had been engaged in for centuries to scientific mining has to be justified.
“The ban on the non-scientific method of mining has a huge economic impact on families that depend on mining and on the economy of the State. Therefore, the transition has to be just for all where the transition takes place within a given timeframe,” Sangma said while inaugurating the workshop on “Enhancing Mineral Exploration through NMET” organised by the Directorate of Mineral Resources at the State Convention Centre here.
Sangma also said that while minerals are being explored and mined for overall development of the State and the country there is also a need to ensure to minimise the impact on ecology and the environment and draw the line somewhere.
“We as stakeholders cannot ignore these facts and are crucial to ensure sustainability and balance is maintained,” he stressed.
The chief minister also added that the land holding system of the State is very unique and embedded in culture and tradition.
“These aspects are also something which we do not wish to ignore and it is also important to respect these cultures, traditions and the people and work with them together to build up the right consensus and atmosphere ensuring everybody is on board,” he stated.
He also said that with the progress of technology in contemporary times mineral exploration has become more accurate, easy and scientific.
“Technology partners like NESAC have played a very important role not only in mining activities but also in other sectors like water resources and forest resources mapping,” Sangma said.
The chief minister also released the State Geological and Mineral Map of Meghalaya on a 1:1 million scale and also launched the Meghalaya Minerals Database during the occasion.
The one-day workshop was held to accelerate the exploration activity in the State to enhance mineral production in the State. The workshop is also aimed at encouraging private sector participation in the field of mining exploration.
At present the Directorate of Mineral Resources and the Geological Survey of India are the only two government organisations engaged in geological investigations and exploration of minerals in the State and there has been less participation from the private agencies in mineral exploration works.
Most explorations are done through surface exploration processes such as mapping, sampling etc and there are a few areas where the exploration process has been done through drilling.
The workshop is a strategic initiative to boost the State’s mining sector by bringing together key stakeholders facilitating the submission of high-quality exploration proposals, fostering innovation and addressing the challenges in the exploration process.
Various presentations by NESAC, NMET, Ministry of Coal, GSI, Law Department, SEAC, CMPDI and MECL were made during the technical sessions.
Notable among the attendees were Geological Survey of India Director General Asit Saha, National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) Deputy Secretary Geetika Sharma among others.
