The Meghalaya Government has misrepresented before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) about coal mining ban in South Garo Hills and it took the lives of four people to expose the lie.
During a hearing of the Tribunal here on January 24, the State Government has said before the Tribunal that coal mining has been banned in South Garo Hills, through an order of the Deputy Commissioner, and the ban was in force - but that wasn’t the truth.
In fact, coal mining ban in South Garo Hills was revoked on October 25 last year by the District Administration and mining was on when the Tribunal had its sitting here.
After the January 24 hearing the Tribunal read in its order: “It was also pointed out that as per order dated 20.5.2013, the District Magistrate passed an order under section 133 of the Code of Criminal Procedure directing that coal mines in the whole of South Garo Hills District, should be stopped with immediate effect, until further orders and the order is in force even today.”
The Tribunal held its sitting here to seek answers from the State Government on the fate of 15 coal miners reported missing in the coal mine tragedy in South Garo Hills in 2011. The Tribunal has ordered the State Government to take efforts to find out about the fate of these miners or at least retrieve their bodies or contact their families.
It was true that coal mining was banned under section 133 IPC (public nuisance) in May 2013, but that was largely because of the Monsoon, when mining becomes even more hazardous in the dangerous rat-hole coal mines.
But the South Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner, Chinmay P Gotmare revoked the order on a request from the Joint Action Committee, Nangalbibra – a consortium of local coal miners.
The local coal miners gave a written assurance to the Deputy Commissioner that they would look after the interest and safety of the miners. In the letter the miners claimed that their livelihood was at stake due to closure of the mines. Based on that assurance the mining ban was lifted.
But tragedy struck again and in early February this year, four miners - Ratna Barman, Debokantho Barman, Bishwanath Barman and Piterson Marak - lost their lives after the walls of the mine in Garegittim, South Garo Hills caved in. The coal mine owner at first fled, but was arrested and is now out on bail.
“We have arrested the coal owner, but he is now out on bail,” South Garo Hills, Superintendent of Police, D R Marak said.
On the overall coal mining scenario in the State, the State Government also presented before the Tribunal the copy of the Meghalaya Mines and Minerals Policy 2012, which came into force on November 5, 2012.
Although rat-hole mining has not been banned, the Government has said that there must be an entry as well as an exit point, which means that there must be two openings in the mine.
The rat-hole mines traditionally have one entry point and the event of wall collapse the miners face a near death situation. However, it is uncertain that even this minor provision of having an entry and exit point is being implemented and that holds true for the recent death of the four miners.
Many miners have lost their lives in the rat-hole coal mines of the State over the years. The highest number of tragedy in a single case was the 2011 mishap in South Garo Hills for which the NGT took up a suo moto case.
Meanwhile, the district of South Garo Hills remains problematic from the administration point of view. It is one of the most backward districts of the country.
Militant groups and anti-social elements and vested interest groups have sprung up and are active in this district for years now especially in the mining areas where a reign of killing, extortion and kidnapping has been unleashed.
One of the factors for this violence is poor security cover and remoteness of the district. There are just four police stations in the district having an area of 1187 square kilometre along the porous Indo-Bangla border.
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