Shillong: The Jaiñtia National Council (JNC) on Saturday renewed its demand that Meghalaya be exempted from certain provisions of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act (MMDR), arguing that the Act’s framework is ill-suited to the state’s customary landholding system and small-scale, community-based coal mining.
The demand was raised after a meeting between the JNC Central Executive Committee, led by president Sambormi Lyngdoh, and Wankit Pohshna, general secretary of the Meghalaya BJP state unit. The meeting took place at the invitation of the BJP leader.
Lyngdoh told reporters the discussion followed a memorandum the JNC submitted to the BJP on March 17, which outlined pressing coal-mining concerns in the Jaintia Hills and other parts of Meghalaya. He noted that while the Supreme Court in 2019 permitted regulated coal mining under MMDR norms, those provisions do not fit Meghalaya’s customary land tenure, hilly terrain and the local, community-based mining model.
Referring to a public rally at Khliehriat on April 7, Lyngdoh said thousands of coal miners had gathered to demand a mining policy tailored to the state’s unique socio-economic realities. “Coal remains the lifeline of many families in Jaintia Hills,” he said, adding that the meeting was “fruitful” and that Shri Pohshna had assured the JNC the matter would be taken up with the Central Government.
The JNC argued that Paragraph 12A(b) of the Sixth Schedule empowers the President to exempt certain parliamentary laws from application in Scheduled Areas, and suggested this provision could be invoked to exclude or modify the MMDR Act’s application in Meghalaya. The council also contended that current standard operating procedures-such as requirements for large landholdings-effectively exclude many traditional and ancestral miners.
Highlighting Meghalaya’s special constitutional protections under the Sixth Schedule, the JNC said the state’s circumstances differ from other states and therefore warrant special treatment in mining policy. The council appreciated the Meghalaya BJP for taking up the issue and said it hoped to be included in further discussions with the Centre on coal-mining regulations.
Original Source: https://nenow.in/north-east-news/meghalaya/meghalaya-coal-mining-jnc-seeks-mmdr-act-exemption-for-traditional-miners.html
Category: Meghalaya,Northeast News,Top News
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Publish Date: 2026-04-18 23:20:00
