Meghalaya’s Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) on Wednesday adopted two unanimous resolutions during a Special Session, with all 30 Members of District Council (MDCs) backing calls to lift coal-mining restrictions imposed after a 2014 National Green Tribunal (NGT) order and to recognise tribal ownership of mineral resources in Jaintia Hills. The council said the measures aim to restore local income streams and clarify ownership rights while keeping environmental safeguards intact.
In the first resolution, the JHADC urged the Government of India to revoke the coal-mining curbs that followed the NGT order. Council members argued that restarting regulated mining would provide economic benefits to local residents and improve the council’s strained finances. They said the suspension of mining had sharply reduced council revenue by ending royalty collections and challan-based receipts, limiting spending on public infrastructure and welfare projects.
MDCs listed several affected services, saying resource constraints hindered work on drinking-water facilities, school maintenance, community infrastructure and other development schemes. The resolution is the first formal appeal by the JHADC to the Centre to remove the restrictions. The move comes as the Meghalaya government prepares to approach Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Coal Ministry seeking a revision of the land-size requirement for scientific coal mining; miners have urged that the current 100-hectare threshold be reduced to about four to five hectares to allow legal small-scale operations suited to the state’s terrain.
The second resolution seeks formal recognition of tribal mineral ownership, noting that existing mining laws do not fully accommodate the traditional landholding system in Jaintia Hills despite court rulings recognising tribal rights over surface and underground resources. Chief Executive Member Thombor Shiwat narrowed the proposal to permit only very small-scale mining by individuals, families, clans, cooperatives and partnerships, with a proposed maximum area of 0.5 hectare and applicability confined to Jaintia Hills.
The council also proposed that royalty-sharing arrangements be determined jointly by the state government and the district council, and that any future mining remain subject to environmental regulations, forest laws, pollution-control requirements and directions from courts and regulators. Copies of both resolutions will be sent to the Governor, the Meghalaya government and relevant Union ministries, and the council recommended creating a dedicated Jaintia Hills registry to record tribal mineral claims and ownership details.
Original Source: https://nenow.in/north-east-news/meghalaya/meghalaya-jhadc-seeks-end-to-ngt-coal-ban-backs-tribal-mineral-rights.html
Category: Meghalaya,Northeast News,Top News
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Publish Date: 2026-06-26 00:15:00
