Shillong: Rajya Sabha member WR Kharlukhi is urging policymakers to look beyond New Delhi when crafting regulations that impact livelihoods in remote regions. His comments follow a hunger strike organized by the Jaintia Coal Owners, Miners, Suppliers and Workers Association to protest the ongoing challenges facing the coal sector in East Jaintia Hills.
Kharlukhi argued that policies often appear sound on paper but fail to account for the realities of rural life. He stressed that authorities must engage directly with affected communities and conduct thorough socio-economic assessments before implementing new rules. Drawing a parallel to the National Education Policy 2020, the MP noted that even well-intentioned national directives frequently encounter significant friction during implementation.
The legislator also called for a balanced approach that weighs the economic needs of thousands of families against environmental goals. He questioned whether national authorities apply the same level of regulatory scrutiny to pollution caused by industrial hubs elsewhere in the country.
West Jaintia Hills MLA and Cabinet Minister Wailadmiki Shylla echoed the need for a shift in strategy. He suggested that Meghalaya should petition the central government for alternative mining models. Shylla noted that the current requirement for scientific mining, introduced after the 2014 National Green Tribunal ban on rat-hole mining, has proven difficult for many local miners to implement effectively.
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