Shillong, Aug 12: The coal source of coke oven plants in Meghalaya’s South West Khasi Hills district has come under scrutiny after a high court-appointed audit committee found no verification that coal procured by them from within the state was from legal sources, officials said on Wednesday.
The finding assumes significance as Meghalaya’s rat-hole coal mining was banned by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2014, and the issue has since remained under judicial scanner, with the Meghalaya High Court monitoring compliance through the panel headed by retired Justice B P Katakey.
The Coal Audit Committee noted that inspections conducted by the South West Khasi Hills district administration on June 1 identified 10 coke oven plants in the district, of which three were non-operational for lack of Consent to Operate (CTO).
However, information furnished by the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) showed that Consent to Establish (CTE) had been issued to 15 coke oven plants, of which 10 had valid CTOs, while five had not applied for CTO.
The Committee observed that coal used by several plants was sourced from outside Meghalaya, some from within the state and others from both sources.
The district administration had not verified compliance with the 2024 Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for imported coal, or whether coal procured within the state came from legal sources, the panel reported to the high court during its hearing recently.
Justice (retd) Katakey has accordingly directed a fresh field enquiry into the coke oven plants, including verification of their existence, approvals, source of coal and compliance with the 2024 SOP.
The Committee has also decided to conduct physical inspections of the plants across the state to verify coal procurement, maintenance of records and compliance with applicable norms, in association with the district task forces.
A coke oven plant is an industrial facility that heats specific types of coal to very high temperatures in a particular way to turn it into coke—a hard, pure-carbon fuel essential for making iron and steel.
The latest findings form part of the continuing scrutiny of coal mining and coal-based industries in Meghalaya by the Katakey Committee.
The panel has previously called for strict compliance with the 2024 SoP and continued audits of coal sources of coke oven plants, ferro-alloy plants and cement companies to prevent the use of illegally procured coal.
The high court, while considering the Katakey Committee’s reports, has sought detailed status reports from the state government on issues including alleged illegal mining, non-compliance with the SoP and action taken by enforcement agencies.
The Coal Audit Committee has also reported demand notices against several coke oven plants for amounts running into lakhs of rupees, with recovery and closure proceedings initiated in some cases.
The committee has further ordered verification of the source of coal and production records of coke oven plants, including month-wise details of coal used and coke produced from January 1, 2026, following allegations of continued illegal coal mining activities in the district.
The audit of coal sources of ferro-alloy plants and cement companies is also underway, while show-cause notices have been issued to Star Cement Meghalaya Ltd and Star Cement Ltd over the source of coal the company uses in their cement plant in East Jaintia Hills district. (PTI)
