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Staff Reporter

Shillong, March 20: The Meghalaya High Court today adjourned the hearing related to a PIL filed against illegal mining and transportation of coal to March 22.

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This was after the counsel of the respondent had sought adjournment on personal grounds.

Champer M. Sangma in his PIL had pointed out that the object of the present public interest litigation is to establish the manner in which certain parties are continuing to indulge in the illegal mining and illegal transportation of coal with the tacit approval of the State.

The petitioner referred to a letter dated April 11, 2022 by which the 14th respondent sought permission from the Deputy Commissioner, South Garo Hills to export the coal available with such respondent at Gasuapara to Bangladesh.

The 14th respondent followed it up with a further letter of April 18/25, 2022 wherein it was, inter alia, indicated that the 14th respondent had a deposit of approximately 52,600 MT of coal at Gasuapara and that approximately 5060 trips by vehicles would be required to complete the export of such deposit.

The petitioner claimed that for the 14th respondent to have obtained such a huge quantity of coal, there must have been one or more sources.

The petitioner also pointed out that the source could not have been Meghalaya since, pursuant to orders passed by the National Green Tribunal and the Supreme Court, there is a complete ban in place since or about 2016 on mining coal in the State and, as of now, no license has been issued for scientific mining of coal.

Further, the previously illegally extracted coal is in the custody of the State and the auction thereof is being monitored in accordance with a schedule that is overseen by this Court.

The 52,600 MT of coal referred to in the letter of April 18/25, 2022 by the respondent No.14 could not have been any part of the previous illegally extracted coal as the respondent No.14 had not obtained any coal from any auction, at least till such date.

The Court said in view of the nature of the mineral, any person in possession of such vast quantities of coal would obviously have papers to indicate the source or sources thereof as coal is a regulated mineral.

“Upon the respondent No.14 being queried by the Court as to the source of the quantum of coal indicated in the letter dated April 18/25, 2022, Counsel for such respondent seeks time on personal grounds,” it said.

It said that there is no doubt that the respondent No.14 has appended copies of relevant documents to its pleadings indicating the source of the 52,600 MT of coal referred to in the letter of April 18/25, 2022.

Meghalaya Times

Hopkinson Road Ashiana ‘E’ Azam Block 3,
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Meghalaya 793001
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