Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on July 7 urged the Centre to delegate authority to the state to approve coal mining plans and related clearances, saying the current regulatory framework does not fit Meghalaya’s unique land-ownership and mining patterns. Sangma made the request during a meeting with Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy in New Delhi and sought powers under Section 26 of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, which would allow the state government to sanction mining plans for coal extraction.
Sangma told the Union minister that delegating these powers would enable thousands of small tribal coal owners in Meghalaya to obtain mining leases and statutory approvals at the state level. He framed the demand as rooted in the state’s constitutional and land-tenure setup: as a Sixth Schedule state, land and the minerals beneath it are owned by individuals, clans and communities rather than by the state government.
The chief minister argued that Meghalaya’s coal is scattered across many small landholdings, making the large mining-block model used in other states impractical. He said the 2014 ban on rat-hole mining-a small-scale, manual method involving narrow tunnels and pits-has hit the livelihoods of thousands of families and reduced state revenue.
Sangma also asked for a review of the 2021 Standard Operating Procedure for coal mining, specifically challenging its requirement of a minimum mining lease area of 100 hectares. He contended that this threshold effectively excludes most genuine small-scale coal owners in Meghalaya from obtaining legal mining leases and pushing them into informal or unsafe extraction.
The chief minister submitted a detailed memorandum to Minister Kishan Reddy outlining these demands and sought formal delegation of the necessary powers to Meghalaya. In response, Kishan Reddy proposed setting up a committee to examine the issues raised by the state government. Sangma welcomed the proposal; the committee is expected to be constituted in the coming days to study the matter.
If the Centre agrees to delegate powers under Section 26 and the SOP is revised, proponents say thousands of tribal owners could gain legal recognition, statutory approvals and access to regulated mining, with potential benefits for safety, livelihoods and state revenues. The government-to-government discussions and the committee’s findings will determine whether and how those changes are implemented.
Original Source: https://www.indiatodayne.in/meghalaya/video/meghalaya-seeks-greater-powers-over-coal-mining-approvals-cm-conrad-sangma-raises-issue-with-centre-1420275-2026-07-07?utm_source=rssfeed
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Publish Date: 2026-07-07 16:09:00
