Meghalaya Pushes for Practical Coal Mining Rules

Shillong: Meghalaya wants to rewrite the rulebook for coal mining. Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma heads to Delhi this week. He plans to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Coal Minister G. Kishan Reddy. The state aims to tweak scientific mining policies to fit local realities.

Current federal rules favor massive open-cast operations. Meghalaya has narrow coal seams and broken-up land. This makes those big-budget methods a non-starter for most locals. The current financial requirements are simply too high for small-scale operators to hit.

Miners want the Centre to amend the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act. They need rules that match the state's specific geology. Sangma insists the government must act to protect jobs while keeping operations legal. He told reporters: "The investment needed under the existing framework is beyond the reach of many local miners."

Scientific mining has restarted after the government cleared the ban. But legal, permitted mining remains limited to a few players. The state now has a list of alternative methods ready for review. Leaders hope that changing the law will make the industry viable for the average citizen.