Central Mine Planning & Design Institute Limited (CMPDIL) will prepare and submit a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the restoration of mining-affected areas in the Khasi-Jaintia and Garo regions.
Coordinator of Mining Affected Area Restoration Project, Naba Bhattacharjee informed that six officials from the CMPDIL had inspected the coal and non-coal mining sites to reclaim and restore in a pilot project mode.
According to him, there are two sites in Khasi Jaintia hills and two sites in Garo Hills, two for coal and two for non coal mining sites.
East Jaintia Hills alone has 20,000 abandoned mines.
Bhattacharjee, who had a meeting with the officials of the CMPDL on Friday said, “We will see what they recommend and how successful these restoration projects are. And then we will go ahead for replicating the other mining sites.”
He said the challenge ahead is availability of the sites as land and mine owners have to come forward to hand over their land.
“We have made a beginning and let us see how the pilot projects take off and then the government will take a decision how to replicate and go forward in a larger scale depending on the success of these pilot projects,” he added.
Bhattacharjee also the officials visited South Garo Hills and witnessed cashew and coffee farming activities, which could be further supported to augment local earnings.
