Shillong: Legislators and miners in Khliehriat have rejected central open-cast mining models. They claim these methods fail to account for the thin coal seams found throughout East Jaintia Hills. Mining here involves seams only three to six feet deep. Standard federal guidelines simply do not work for this geology.
Sutnga Saipung MLA Santa Mary Shylla met with Union Coal Minister G. Kishan Reddy to push for a tailored framework. She told the Jaintia Coal Miners and Dealers Association that enforcing current rules would lead to excessive environmental damage. "Enforcing such methods would cause excessive environmental damage while failing to extract resources efficiently," she said.
Kyrmen Shylla joined the call for a specific policy. The Khliehriat MLA urged a shift toward active environmental restoration as a fix for the district. This includes reforestation and cleaning up acidic water bodies. Local families have struggled since the National Green Tribunal implemented a mining ban in 2014.
The association spent three months lobbying officials for a legal pathway to resume work. Despite public frustration over the lack of a clear timeline, leadership asked for patience. Representatives from the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council and local NGOs attended the meeting. They hope to unite coal business owners and dependent families to restart the crippled economy.
Comments