Shillong, Feb 9: The West Jaintia Hills District Administration has imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), effectively banning rat-hole coal mining and tightening restrictions on coal transportation across the district.
The order, issued by District Magistrate Abhinav Kumar Singh, on February 6, comes amid heightened concerns over illegal mining activities despite the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) ban on rat-hole mining since April 2014.
Citing the “imminent threat to human life,” environmental degradation, and risks of public disturbance linked to illegal mining, the administration has prohibited all forms of rat-hole coal mining within the jurisdiction of West Jaintia Hills district and transportation of coal without valid challans, permits, or licenses issued by competent authorities, both to and from the district.
The order states that violations will attract penal action under Section 163 BNSS in addition to other applicable laws.
The directive has been passed ex-parte, underscoring the urgency of the situation, and has come into force with immediate effect. It will remain operational until further orders.
The move follows renewed scrutiny over illegal coal extraction in Meghalaya, where rat-hole mining — a hazardous practice involving narrow horizontal tunnels — has repeatedly led to fatal accidents.
, effectively banning rat-hole coal mining and tightening restrictions on coal transportation across the district.){kind=link}