Shillong | Dec 14, 2017: The Meghalaya government on Wednesday pitched for the Meghalaya Minerals Development Corporation (MMDC) to become an "instrument" to help coal miners.
Replying to a calling attention motion brought by suspended Congress legislator P.N. Syiem on the second day of the Assembly's winter session, chief minister Mukul Sangma said: "We can utilise services of the MMDC as an instrument by the mine owners under terms and conditions which can be mutually agreed upon." Based on that agreement, he said, the corporation would take measures to prepare the mining plan and attain clearances after getting mining lease from the Centre.
Coal miners have been opposing the government's ideato engage the MMDC for coal mining activities fearing that their ownership over the coal mines will be compromised.
Raising the motion, Syiem said mine owners would not accept the idea of roping in the MMDC as the mine developer and operator except those who do not understand the land and mine holding system practised since time immemorial.
Syiem appealed to the government that instead of going ahead to mine coal through the MMDC where the "ownership right will be surrendered" to the corporation, it should look at working together with the autonomous district councils in the state on ownership right and demand more protection of the people.
Mukul, however, clarified that the MMDC had been offered to the coalminers as an alternative pending the Centre's invoking of paragraph 12 A (b) of the Sixth Schedule to exempt Meghalaya from provisions of the central laws related to coal mining.
He clarified that the MMDC will not own the mines. "The MMDC will only be acting as a contractor and it will not be the owner of the mines. It will only get mining lease and ensure that rights over land stays with the people. This instrument will give immediate relief to our miners," Mukul said while referring to the interim ban on illegal coal mining by the National Green Tribunal which has been invoked since 2014.
"What is the problem in having the MMDC as a partner rather than bringing some other businessmen from outside? The MMDC is an agent of the government and it is the people's government," Mukul said. He claimed that if mining is done through the MMDC, there will be "transparency". "Mining can be done in a transparent manner by appointing mine developer-cum-operator in a transparent bidding system where we can get the best of experts to have scientific mining," he said.
(Source: https://www.telegraphindia.com/)