Shillong, Jun 24: The Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) today adopted a resolution seeking the intervention of the President of India regarding amendments to laws related to coal mining.
A special session of the council was called as pressure by the coal lobby to relax rules on so-called scientific coal mining increases day by day. The JHADC has been criticised by this lobby for not doing enough to help the coal industry.
The coal lobby is opposed to the 100 hectare requirement for mine licensees and has been protesting this intensely this year, though its opposition has been made clear for the last four years or more. The JHADC is not responsible for the SOPs that mandate the high landholding threshold, rather it is a state and central government matter.
The JHADC resolution concerns laws known as the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act 1957, the Mineral Concession Rules 1960 and the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act 2015.
The resolution was moved by JHADC Chief Executive Member Thombor Shiwat. Before he introduced the resolution, it was pointed out that, under Paragraph 12A (b) of the Sixth Schedule, the President has the authority to empower autonomous district councils to frame laws by making amendments to existing legal provisions.
The resolution also laid out the framework for coal mining in areas under the Sixth Schedule through three categories – for individuals/clans/families, for medium-scale cooperative or partnership operations and for large-scale corporate operations.
Many MDCs, especially from the opposition, took part in the discussion on the resolution and thanked the executive committee for taking the initiative to frame such a legal provision so that coal mining in the Jaiñtia Hills could get back to what it once was.
Leader of the Opposition Andrew Shullai pointed out a few amendments and corrections to certain parts of the resolution. After incorporating the necessary changes, particularly regarding the size of coal mining areas and the removal of certain words, the house resumed in the evening and adopted the resolution.
Shiwat said that this decision of the JHADC came after recognising the urgent need arising from the impact on the council’s office in relation to the royalty share from coal, as well as the hardships faced by the people of Jaiñtia Hills and various organisations that had appealed to the JHADC for assistance.
