Authorities have detected 11,707 metric tons of illegally mined coal in West Khasi Hill district.
According to the Meghalaya police, the Executive Magistrate of Mawshynrut Civil Sub-Division lodged a complaint that in compliance with a government order, the detection was made through a drone survey was conducted by Garuda UAV Soft Solution.
The illegally mined coal lies in 280 heaps spread over 398.29 sq. km including one buffer area.
The aerial survey was to identify coal beyond the inventoried stock. These surveys aimed to determine whether illegal mining and transportation persist, despite the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ban upheld by the Supreme Court.
It may be mentioned that Justice (retd) BP Katakey Committee, appointed by the Meghalaya high court to probe illegal coal mining in the state had uncovered over 1.92 lakh metric tons of illegally mined coal across four districts—East Jaintia Hills, South West Khasi Hills, West Khasi Hills, and South Garo Hills.
The coal was found outside the designated depots rendering it illegal under the stringent framework established by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2014.
