Shillong: Chief minister Conrad Sangma on Tuesday met Union minister of coal and mines G Kishan Reddy in New Delhi and urged the Centre to delegate to Meghalaya, under Section 26 of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, the powers to grant previous approval and to approve mining plans for coal.Sangma said the move would enable thousands of small tribal coal-holders to obtain lawful mineral concessions and necessary clearances within the state.“Explaining Meghalaya’s distinct position, he pointed out that it is a 6th Schedule state where land and minerals beneath belong to the individual, the clan or the community, and not to the state,” an official statement said.“This position was affirmed by the Supreme Court in 2019, which held that the tribal owns both the land and the minerals, while requiring compliance with the MMDR Act to work them,” the statement pointed out.The chief minister said Meghalaya’s coal seams are thin and scattered, with holdings typically in small family and clan parcels rather than large blocks, making the national model unsuitable for the state.He said livelihoods were hit after the National Green Tribunal restrained rat-hole mining in 2014, leaving many families without work and reducing state revenue from royalty, cess and taxes.Sangma also flagged the minimum concession area of 100 hectares set in the 2021 Standard Operating Procedure, saying it has effectively excluded most genuine holders because large continuous areas are rare in the hill state and are seldom owned by a single individual.He said it is also “neither practical nor affordable” for small holders to make repeated trips to Delhi and the Indian Bureau of Mines office in Kolkata for approvals for modest deposits.Recalling that the Ministry of Coal in principle agreed to Meghalaya’s request in 2015, Sangma asked the Centre to issue notifications under Section 26 delegating the powers to the state, along with connected powers under the Mineral Concession Rules, 1960, and the Mineral Conservation and Development Rules, 2017.“The Union minister suggested that a committee be constituted to examine the matter. The chief minister welcomed the suggestion, and a committee is expected to be constituted shortly for the purpose,” the statement said.Sangma said he hoped the step would allow thousands of families to earn a lawful livelihood from their mineral resources under regulation and state oversight.
