Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Shillong: A High Court-appointed committee is tightening its grip on Meghalaya's coal industry. Auditors found that local authorities failed to verify if coal used in South West Khasi Hills coke plants was legally mined. This monitoring follows a 2014 National Green Tribunal ban on dangerous rat-hole mining operations.
Retired Justice B P Katakey leads the committee overseeing compliance. During a June 1 inspection, district officials identified 10 coke oven plants. Three plants lacked a valid Consent to Operate. Records from the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board show 15 plants received Consent to Establish, but five never even applied for mandatory approval.
Plants use varying fuel sources. Some bring coal in from outside the state while others buy local, yet the administration failed to verify if these supplies meet the 2024 Standard Operating Procedure. Justice Katakey has ordered a fresh field inquiry. The state will now verify every plant's existence and audit their production records starting January 1, 2026. "The committee has also stressed strict adherence to the 2024 SOP and called for continued scrutiny of coal sources used by coke oven, ferro-alloy and cement plants to prevent illegally mined coal from entering industrial supply chains," the report states.
Officials are expanding these physical inspections across the entire state. Demand notices for lakhs of rupees have reached several operators. Authorities have also initiated closure proceedings against non-compliant businesses. Meanwhile, cement giants are feeling the heat. Star Cement Meghalaya Ltd and Star Cement Ltd received show-cause notices regarding their East Jaintia Hills operations. The High Court currently demands full status reports from the state government on all ongoing violations.
Updated at 13th August 2026 at 6:15pm
Beyond the industrial crackdown, the Katakey Committee has slammed the state government for dragging its feet on critical anti-mining measures. In its 39th interim report, the panel blasted the administration for failing to finalize a comprehensive action plan to curb illegal mining and transport. While officials promised a roadmap for control and detection months ago, the plan remains stuck in bureaucratic purgatory.
A proposed mine closure policy is also gathering dust. The state has yet to adopt rules for sealing or fencing thousands of dangerous rat-hole pits that threaten residents and livestock. Two pilot restoration projects at Sutnga and Arenggtim, worth over 1.5 crore rupees combined, remain paralyzed because the NGT-backed Oversight Committee has sat on the funding proposals for more than two months. Justice Katakey noted that the current restoration plans ignore basic safety, leaving massive, open pits unfenced while the government misses its own self-imposed deadlines for submission.
The committee also flagged internal dysfunction stalling the cleanup. The Member Secretary of the NGT Oversight Committee skipped a key review meeting on June 29. This absence has choked off the approval process for vital grants from the Central Pollution Control Board and the Meghalaya Environment Protection and Restoration Fund.
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