Meghalaya: JNC launches ‘Save Jaintia Mission’

The Jaintia National Council (JNC), under its “Save Jaiñtia Mission 2024,” today formally submitted a memorandum to Rikman Momin, President of the Bharatiya Janata Party Meghalaya State Unit, urging immediate intervention for the formulation and implementation of a “Small-Scale Scientific Coal Mining Policy” tailored to the unique conditions of Meghalaya. This memorandum comes in the backdrop of recent developments where the Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has effectively shifted the responsibility of resolving the coal mining policy issue to the Central Government. In light of this, the JNC has approached the BJP, which leads the Government of India, to take decisive policy action on this pressing matter affecting thousands of livelihoods in the Jaiñtia Hills region.

The JNC has specifically requested the Meghalaya BJP unit to “forward this memorandum to the Hon’ble Union Ministry of Mines and the Ministry of Coal, Government of India”, for urgent consideration and necessary policy intervention. The JNC strongly reiterates its demand for the removal or necessary amendment of the “100-hectare Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)” under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, which is impractical and unsuitable for Meghalaya’s tribal landholding system. The Council calls for a policy framework that recognizes small ancestral landholdings and enables lawful, regulated mining practices for local communities.

A key highlight of the memorandum is the urgent need for a “comprehensive Geological Ground Survey” of coal-bearing areas in Meghalaya. The JNC emphasized that the hills of Jaiñtia possess highly unique geological characteristics, including thin coal seams (1–4 feet), discontinuous and irregular formations, and zigzag or wave-like patterns across hilly terrain. These conditions make conventional large-scale mining methods unsuitable and environmentally damaging. Therefore, a scientific survey is essential to determine safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible mining techniques appropriate for the region.