Shillong: The Jaiñtia National Council (JNC) on Saturday renewed its demand for exemption of Meghalaya from certain provisions of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act (MMDR), asserting that the existing legal framework is unsuitable for the state’s traditional landholding system and small-scale coal mining practices.
The demand was raised during a meeting between the JNC Central Executive Committee, led by president Sambormi Lyngdoh, and Meghalaya BJP state unit general secretary Wankit Pohshna. The meeting was held following an invitation from the BJP leader.
Addressing the media after the meeting, Lyngdoh said the dialogue followed a memorandum submitted by the JNC to the BJP on March 17 this year, highlighting pressing coal mining issues in the Jaintia Hills region and other parts of Meghalaya.
He said that although the Supreme Court in 2019 permitted regulated coal mining under MMDR norms, the provisions do not align with Meghalaya’s customary land tenure system, hilly terrain and community-based mining model.
Lyngdoh also referred to a public rally held at Khliehriat on April 7, where thousands of coal miners reportedly 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. We conveyed the concerns of miners and local communities, and the meeting was fruitful. Shri Pohshna assured us that the matter would be escalated to the Central Government,” he said.
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 said such a provision could be considered in the case of the MMDR Act for Meghalaya.
According to the organisation, the present standard operating procedures requiring large landholdings effectively exclude many traditional and ancestral miners.
The JNC further stated that Meghalaya’s constitutional protections under the Sixth Schedule differentiate it from other states, and therefore special treatment on mining policy would be legally justified.
The council also appreciated the Meghalaya BJP for taking up the issue and said it hoped to be included in future discussions with the Centre regarding coal mining regulations in the state.