Shillong, Jun 4: The Meghalaya High Court has issued directives aimed at enhancing the management of limestone quarry operations in the state.
A division bench of Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice Wanlura Diengdoh mandated that authorities deploy adequate transport officers and police personnel at critical sites including the Amjeha weighbridge and the main junction before entering the Dawki land port within three weeks.
The court also instructed the Directorate of Mineral Resources (DMR) and the Forest Department to map all entry and exit points to licensed limestone quarries. “The concerned officer to ensure installation of official numbered signboards to ensure minerals are extracted from licensed mines,” the court said.
The court also ordered the Public Works Department (PWD) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to promptly repair damaged highway sections identified earlier within four weeks from June 3.
“Considering that quarrying of limestone is going on for several decades, we request the environmental authorities of the State to consider the impact that the same has on the environment. If possible, the State to submit a report to this Court with respect to the same on the next date,” the court said.
On the request of the Amicus Curiae Philemon Nongbri for sealing of all entries/exits points leading to unlicensed limestone quarry is concerned, the Advocate General, Amit Kumar stated that the same has already been done and that the authorities will take care to ensure that no mining takes place through the unlicensed quarries.
Earlier, Nongbri submitted a report on the site inspection conducted on May 14, 2026, along the Dawki-Tamabil and Dawki-Amlarem-Jowai roads (NH-206) to verify compliance with the interim order dated April 21, 2026, regarding the regulation of mineral plying towards the Bangladesh border along NH-206.
In the report the Amicus Curiae has noted that prior to the passing of the interim order, approximately 300 to 350 loaded trucks were passing towards Dawki on daily basis and that post the interim order, the numbers have dropped approximately to 25 trucks per day.
In the findings’, the Amicus Curiae noted that pursuant to the interim order there appears to be a positive rippling effect at the ground level.
According to the court the number of trucks crossing the border appears to have dropped drastically and that almost all trucks now appear to be road compliant with visible number plates.
“It is also noted that enforcement by the Transport Department is still short of satisfactory, despite improvement in numbers, as police were not found to be present in the entire stretch; nor at the integrated check gate to regulate the traffic or the areas where the trucks are lined up; that most roads leading to limestone quarries did not have signboards, making it difficult to track exactly from where the minerals were coming,” the court quoting the report stated.
The court said that the report noted that the highway is heavily damaged and filled with potholes and that long lines of queued trucks force smaller passenger vehicles to drive on the wrong side of the road creating risk of accidents.
Meanwhile, the Advocate General also tendered a report of the Commissioner of Transport.
The court stated that from the said affidavit, it appears that the Transport Department is conducting a Special Intensive Drive in all districts of the State to ensure that the vehicles plying in the State are in compliance with the regulations and that the vehicles have all requisite documents.
The advocate general stated that from April 16, 2026 to May 22, 2026, more than 29,000 vehicles were checked by the Transport Department in the Special Intensive Drive which was conducted across 12 districts of the State with special focus on – High Security Registration Plate violations; Fitness certificate violations; PUC certificate violations; Insurance certificate violations; and Permit violations.
The High Court also stated that it appears that drives were also conducted with special focus in East Khasi Hills, where over 7296 vehicles were checked and in West Jaintia Hills, over 4539 vehicles were checked during the course of the drive.
According to the High Court from the earlier affidavit-in-reply of the Transport Department dated May 5, 2026, it appears that at present, the Transport Department maintains vehicle registration data in the VAHAN system, which contains details of registered vehicles and that there is no integrated digital enforcement data bank or automated e-Challan based offender tracking system operational in Meghalaya.
