Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma has emphasized the need for a “justified transition” for people affected by the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) ban on coal mining, imposed a decade ago. Speaking at a workshop on mineral exploration organized by the state’s Directorate of Mineral Resources in Shillong, Sangma stressed that the abrupt ban, enforced in 2014, severely impacted the livelihoods of thousands of families who had been involved in traditional coal mining for over 200 years.
“The people of Meghalaya mined coal in the way they thought was correct, as it had been done for the last 200 years. For them, the resources under their land were theirs to utilize,” Sangma explained. He acknowledged the environmental concerns behind the NGT’s decision but argued that a sudden ban without a phased approach had significant economic consequences.
“You can imagine the impact when two to three lakh families, who depended on this form of mining, were suddenly told they couldn’t do it anymore. Whether the ban was right or wrong is not the point I’m making. The question is: can we simply take away people’s livelihoods without giving them a ‘justified transition’?” Sangma questioned.
He advocated for a balanced approach, suggesting a gradual shift from traditional, non-scientific mining to modern, scientific methods. “You cannot come in and cut everything off immediately. We need to give a proper timeframe—whether it’s five, ten, or fifteen years—to make the transition smooth and fair,” he added.
Despite the challenges, Sangma expressed optimism about the future, stating, “We are happy that after numerous discussions at different levels, the process has moved forward. We’ve received support from the Ministry of Coal and Ministry of Mines, and we hope for further backing.”
The workshop, titled “Enhancing Mineral Exploration through National Mineral Exploration Trust”, brought together key stakeholders, including officials from the Ministry of Mines, Ministry of Coal, and private exploration agencies. On this occasion, Sangma also launched the state’s Geological and Mineral Map and introduced the new MMD (Mineral Management and Development) portal to facilitate better management of mineral resources.
The Chief Minister also released the State Geological and Mineral Map of Meghalaya on 1:1 million scale and also launched the Meghalaya Minerals Database during the occasion.
The one-day workshop was held to accelerate the exploration activity in the state. Through this workshop all stakeholders, including the exploration activity to enhance mineral production in the state. At present the Directorate of Mineral Resources and the Geological Survey of India are the only two government organizations engaged in geological investigations and exploration of minerals in the state and there has been less participation from the private agencies in mineral exploration works. Most explorations are done through surface exploration process i.e, by mapping, sampling etc and there are a few areas where the exploration process has been done through drilling.
The workshop is a strategic initiative to boost the state’s mining sector by bringing together key stakeholders facilitating the submission of high-quality exploration proposals, fostering innovation and addressing the challenges in the exploration process. The workshop is also aimed at encouraging private sector participation in the field of mining exploration.
Various presentations by NESAC, NMET, Ministry of Coal, GSI, Law Department, SEAC, CMPDI and MECL were made during the technical sessions.
Notable among the attendance were Asit Saha, Director General, GSI, Mrs Geetika Sharma, Deputy Secretary & HoD, NMET, Commissioner & Secretary, Mining & Geology, Meghalaya and Director of Mineral Resources, Meghalaya, R P Marak.