Crippled by the end of rat-hole mining brought about by the 2014 ban on the practice, the coal miners of Sohra will receive training and awareness to give them a better understanding of the scientific system of mining and procedures to apply for leases.
Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) Chief Executive Member and local MDC Titosstarwell Chyne said this to reporters after leading a delegation of the Synjuk Ki Khlieh Nongsynshar Sohra Civil Sub-Division to meet Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma today.
According to Chyne, Sangma told the delegation that he will instruct the Directorate of Mineral Resources to impart the training at the earliest.
“We understand that we cannot return to the old system of rat-hole mining and we have to replace it with scientific mining and there is a lot of awareness that needs to be imparted to the people of the region who still do not have a clue about the scientific mining of coal,” Chyne said.