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Shillong, Dec 7: A report submitted to the Supreme Court recently has named some of the incumbent cabinet ministers for their alleged involvement in illegal coal mining in the state.

In a statement issued here on Friday, Madal Sumer, a resident of Jowai said that the senior advocate Colin Consalves who has been appointed as the amicus curiae to assist the Apex Court on this matter, has submitted his report which contained various findings regarding illegal coal mining activities in the state.

“In his (amicus curiae) report he has also named some of the present cabinet ministers who are apparently involved in controlling coal mining and transportation,” Sumer said.

According to him, the report was submitted during hearing conducted on December 4, by the Supreme Court which also allowed transportation of already extracted and assessed coal lying in the different parts of the state till January 31, next year.

He said that one Sengbreezbirth N Marak has prayed to allow transportation of only 1.76 lakh MT which is the remaining quantity of the already extracted coal as declared in May this year by the government.

Marak, who was represented by senior advocate, Nidhesh Gupta also added that the rest of the coal should be seized and auctioned online.

During the course of hearing, Sumer said some private parties who have filed similar petitions to allow transportation of the already extracted coal have raised the issue of large quantity of already extracted coal lying at several places and made a prayer to allow the same to be reassessed and transported.

However, the court was not at all impressed with their argument and instead question whether the coal is from illegal mining or not. It outrightly rejected their prayer and did not allow reassessment of already extracted coal and also their request to allow transportation till May 31, next year, he said.

On the plea to lift the ban on coal mining, Sumer said the Apex Court on hearing the argument of the government counsel remarked that both the state and the central governments should find out ways and means to resume coal mining in Meghalaya at the earliest.

Meanwhile, issue on the ongoing ban on coal mining imposed by the NGT in Meghalaya will be taken up in the next hearing scheduled to be held on January 15, next year.