Shillong: Public anger over a ten-year coal mining ban in the Jaintia Hills reached a boiling point on Tuesday. During a demonstration at the Madan Football Ground, a local farmer warned Shillong Lok Sabha by-election candidates that they would face rotten vegetables if they attempted to campaign for votes in the region. The protest coincided with the ninth day of an indefinite hunger strike led by Marshall S.B. Biam of the Jaintia Coal Owners, Miners, Suppliers and Workers Association.
Supporters argue that the National Green Tribunal ban, enforced since 2014, has devastated the local economy. The protesting farmer claimed that families have been pushed into poverty, with many struggling to afford basic necessities or school fees for their children. She stated, "The region has been reeling under economic distress for over a decade and the ban has pushed many families into poverty and uncertainty."
Critics allege that elected officials have remained indifferent to the suffering of ordinary citizens, focusing instead on personal interests. There is also significant concern that proposed mining leases will only benefit a small group of wealthy individuals while further marginalizing the local workforce. The movement has gained momentum with the backing of the Jaintia Students’ Union and the Jaintia National Council.
General secretary of the Jaintia Students’ Union, N. Mukhim, emphasized the scale of the crisis, noting that thousands of families dependent on the coal industry are struggling to survive. The groups involved in the agitation maintain that they will continue their protest until the government initiates a formal dialogue and reaches a resolution to the ongoing economic distress.
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