Shillong, March 10: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Monday said that the government is taking up with the Centre for allowing to declare traditional mining as a non-mining activities.
“We are working to get clearance from the Centre to allow us to declare traditional mining as non-mining activities,” Sangma said while replying to a question raised by VPP legislator from Mawryngkneng Heavingstone Kharpran in the Assembly on the status of mining and sand quarrying in the state of Meghalaya.
Sangma informed the House that the government has constitute a committee to review the Meghalaya Minor Mineral Concession Rules (MMMCR), 2016 after many members have raised their concerns related to the small time miners, who are practicing traditional mining activities in the state.
“We realised that the small time miners, who are practicing traditional mining, that the activities were more for local use at the village level or small constructin work. Hence, we strongly felt after meeting with members, we had detailed discussion with the deputy chief minister and formed a committee on September 16, 2024) where we have different members and MLAs and officials from mining & geology and forest department besides different stakeholders particularly the miners and their representatives (as members). Two meetings were conducted and recommendations have been put that the entire procedures for traditionaly quarry permits should be made simple and easy,”he said.
He added, “Based on that, the committee has recommended that only few permit documents should be required – that is forest clearance to ensure it is not a forest land and no-objection certificate (NOC) from the headman to ensure the claim of ownership of land is neither disputed or under litigation.”
“This recommendation has come to the state government and the government is in the process of moving a concurrence from government of India to allow us waive off the necessity of clearances as these quarries are very small as there is a provision under law to apply for exemption from the Environment Protection Act 1986…,” Sangma said while adding “We are woring very hard on this as many of our small time miners are facing difficult times as provisions under the rules mandated by the Act are difficult sometimes for the miners to comply with.”
Earlier, the chief minister said that stone mining and sand quarrying in the state of Meghalaya is strictly regulated in accordance with the provisions of Meghalaya Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 2016 as amended till date, which is as per Section 15 of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (Central Act No 67 of 1957).
The sand quarrying is regulated additionally in accordance with the provisions of Sustainable Sand Mining Management Guidelines, 2016 and Enforcement & Monitoring guidelines for Sand Mining, 2020 which have been notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, he added.
