No coal mining licences issued by Meghalaya, HC told

No license has been issued for coal mining in Meghalaya in any form, the state government told the Supreme Court last week.

Attorney General Amit Kumar said the state has forwarded applications from several parties seeking coal mining licenses to the center. The national government has referred the applications to an expert body.

This was revealed at the Public Interest (PIL) Trial Hearing on Illegal Coal Mining in Meghalaya High Court.

The state government has also informed the Court that it has warned truck owner associations that strong action will be taken against the individual truck drivers and the parent association if any attempt is made to transport fresh, illegally mined coal.

Regarding the auction of the previously mined coal, the state said significant progress has been made in terms of the timelines outlined in previous affidavits filed by the state and noted in the orders passed by the Supreme Court.

“Several steps have been taken to comply with the Supreme Court's previous orders in this case, particularly with regard to the auctioning of coal and to ensure that no coal is mined in the state at all or that no coal transportation is allowed. takes place other than for the auction of the previously mined coal,” said the Solicitor General.

Meanwhile, the eighth interim report has been filed by Judge BP Katakey (retired), who has been appointed by the Supreme Court to oversee the implementation of Supreme Court and National Green Tribunal (NGT) directions and the auctioning of formerly illegally mined coal in accordance with it.