Tribunal relief for Meghalaya miners -Andrew W Lyngdoh

Shillong: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) today allowed transportation of coal from Meghalaya while refusing to lift the interim ban on the mining of the "black diamond".

After a series of hearings, the tribunal's principal bench provided partial relief to coal miners by permitting them to pay royalty on the extracted coal within 21 days from today. Transportation of the mineral would carry on until May 31, the bench ruled.

"The NGT has permitted transportation of extracted coal with payment of royalty within 21 days from today. Transportation of coal is allowed up to May 31, 2015. No order for fresh mining was passed, and it will be decided only after the state mining plan is in place," advocate Ranjan Mukherjee, the state government's counsel, said over phone from New Delhi.

Transportation of the extracted and assessed coal from Meghalaya had ended on February 11 this year after the three-month deadline given by the tribunal expired.

According to an affidavit filed by the directorate of mineral resources, the total declared coal was 1,04,36,620.7 tonnes, and the coal transported as on January 27, 2015, was 976,518 tonnes. The coal to be transported or due for payment of royalty was 94,60,102 tonnes.

Recently, the state government had said 11,56,743 metric tonnes of coal was transported from various depots of the state within the grace period allowed by the NGT and the royalty collected by the government was Rs 132,25,43,299.

The total quantum of extracted coal was assessed at 87,13,103.221 MT and the total quantum of assessed coal lying in various depots was 75,56,360.221 MT, the government said.

On coal mining, a source said, the state government was directed by the tribunal to prepare the "mining plan" within six weeks. The next hearing will be conducted here next month.

In a related development, the district administration in Ri Bhoi today prohibited the movement of heavy vehicles, including coal trucks, along the Patharkhmah (Mairang side)-Tasku-Umling PWD Road.

The order was issued after it came to the administration's notice that some coal-laden trucks were "illegally transporting" their load through the road.

Reacting to the order, the Meghalaya Commercial Truck Owners and Operators Association expressed gratitude to the tribunal for hearing its plea on difficulties to transport coal for a period of 45 days only as previously permitted.

"The tribunal, during the course of hearing today, categorically sought from our legal counsel both the orders passed in our civil appeals filed previously before the Supreme Court and the contents of the same have been duly recorded in the order passed by the tribunal," association president Augustine Shanpru said.

He also said the tribunal has allowed those who had previously deposited the royalty, but were unable to transport coal because of the shortage of time, to now transport the coal on production of the challan that was previously issued.

Moreover, Shanpru said the tribunal directed the state government to make weighbridges operational within a period of four weeks without any default.

At the same time, he said the Meghalaya Environment Protection Fund was created where 10 per cent of the total value of consignment should be deposited towards the fund in addition to royalty payable under the rules of the state government.