Shillong, Feb 9: Meghalaya’s Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, who is in charge of the Home Department, made two paradoxical statements today to explain the state’s inability (or unwillingness) to curb illegal coal mining.
In a vain attempt to assert that the Meghalaya government is actually bent on enforcing the law, Tynsong said today that many illegal mining operations take place in remote areas of the state that are hard to access by the police. He then said that Meghalaya is also suffering a shortfall in police but does not want central forces to aid in enforcing the ban on rat-hole mining.
Tynsong today said the government has instructed district administrations to act firmly and ensure that all illegal coal mining operations are shut down without delay.
Speaking to reporters, Tynsong said two mine owners have been arrested following last week’s deadly Thangsko mine explosion, which has claimed at least 28 lives, and action is being taken wherever violations are reported.
That illegal coal mining is being carried out over large parts of Meghalaya is not in doubt – this was confirmed by Justice (retd) BP Katakey last week while on a visit to Thangsko. Speaking to reporters, he said that there was evidence of illegal mining on both sides of the road on the way to the site.
For coal to be profitable, workers have to get to the site to extract it and the mineral has to be transported for sale. Coal mine owners appear not to have a problem with any of this, despite many layers of government operating in the state, from the Meghalaya government, district councils down to traditional village institutions.
Referring to supposed challenges faced by the government, Tynsong said that many illegal mining sites are located in remote rural areas that are hard to access even by four-wheel drive vehicles, which makes policing difficult. This does not explain how labourers (many from outside Meghalaya) get in and how the coal gets out with ease.
A few years ago the High Court of Meghalaya, frustrated by the continuation of illegal mining despite the 2024 ban, wanted the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to be brought in to bolster the state’s manpower resources. The state government has opposed this consistently.
There is a shortage of police in the state due to a recruitment backlog that has lasted several years. It stands to reason that additional forces would aid in this but the state government is adamantly opposed.
Tynsong said Meghalaya is managing with its existing resources and does not plan to seek central forces at this stage. He said the government is in the process of filling more than 3,000 vacant posts in the police service, which he believes will strengthen enforcement capacity. But the state police in Meghalaya (or any Indian state for that matter) are not independent of politicians and there is a strong suspicion among the public that those involved in the illegal coal trade have close ties to politicians.
Tynsong declined to comment further as the matter is sub judice. “Let the High Court take whatever necessary steps from their side,” he said.
On whether a deadline has been fixed to close over 22,000 abandoned coal mines in the district, Tynsong said setting a timeframe is not practical. He said illegal activities can take place at any time, and the government is committed to shutting them down whenever they are detected.
Responding to the opposition’s demand for Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma’s resignation, as he is also in charge of the Mining & Geology Department, Tynsong said such demands are common in politics. He added that the government takes full responsibility for stopping illegal mining activities and is focused on immediate action rather than political pressure.
