Shillong: Coal-rich Meghalaya is moving “steadily” toward regulated coal extraction, governor Chandrashekhar H Vijayashankar said on Monday, while noting that thousands of families have been affected by the National Green Tribunal’s ban on “rat-hole” mining.“Since the NGT ban on rat-hole coal mining, upheld by the Supreme Court, thousands of people who depended on coal mining have lost their livelihoods,” he said in his customary address to the Meghalaya assembly on the first day of the budget session for 2026-27.Vijayashankar said the state has been “working tirelessly” to transition to scientific and sustainable mining.“Three applicants have now received final approval and have begun scientific mining operations, with coal being transported across the country by road and rail,” he told the House.“Additionally, 20 more applications have been forwarded and are currently in advanced stages of clearance, marking steady progress toward restoring livelihoods while ensuring environmental responsibility,” he underscored.The governor said the state govt has constituted a Judicial Inquiry Commission under the Commission of Inquiry Act to investigate the Feb 5 dynamite explosion in an illegal coal mine in the Mynsngat-Thangsko area of East Jaintia Hills district, in which more than 30 mine workers were killed.
