Newmai News Network
Shillong: The Meghalaya government has taken up with the Centre to reduce a hundred hectares of land as a minimum requirement for granting prospecting licenses and mining leases in the state.
This was after different miner organizations demanded an immediate review of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for granting prospecting licenses and mining leases for coal mining in the state.
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“Based on the different miner organizations appealing that it should be reduced, we have taken up the matter with the Government of India. The process is already on but we have not reached a conclusion yet but it is going in the right direction,” Sangma told reporters.
He said when the State was fighting in the Supreme Court against the NGT ban on coal mining a discussion also took place with the Government of India.
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Stating that Meghalaya’s case was unique, Sangma said the State was having so much difficulty in reaching to a conclusion because of the unique land holding system.
Further, the chief minister informed that, the mining plan for starting scientific mining is in the final stage of getting the approval of the Centre.
He said the mining plans of four agencies which have already received the NOC concerned from the Centre government are being approved.
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