Shillong Oct 2: A special leave petition was filed by coal miners seeking the intervention of the Supreme Court into the recent decision of the National Green Tribual (NGT) to continue the ban on coal mining in Meghalaya.

The special leave petition (SPL) was filed by the coal miners under the banner of the State Co-ordination Committee of Coal Owners, Miners and Dealers Forum (SCCCOMDF), a conglomerate of various associations engaged in extraction, transportation and export of coal and other mineral related activities.

“Being aggrieved by the perpetual ban of coal mining vide the NGT order dated August 31, we had moved the Supreme Court of India by filing a SLP,” Forum’s secretary in-charge media cell Balios Swer said in a statement issued here on Tuesday.

The NGT in its order had declared that coal ban will continue in Meghalaya, and directed an Independent Committee headed by a former judge of the Guwahati High Court to submit its report on March 6, next year.

The Committee may also supervise any issue arising out of receivership/custodianship of the already extracted coal, including any environmental issues which may arise out of storage of the extracted material and steps required to be taken for the purpose.

Swer said that the Forum has been continuously pleading before the NGT since 2014, after the NGT imposed an interim ban on coal mining and transportation by urging the NGT to lift the ban considering the fact that it has caused chaos to coal miners whose livelihood was solely dependent on mining activities which have been in practice scores of years.

According to Swer, the sudden and abrupt ban on coal mining without any measures to provide succor to them, has virtually resulted in starvation, rise in crimes and brought in many untold sufferings.

There is no other alternative economic activity to provide the optional employment to scores of people whose livelihood solely dependent on coal mining activities.

“The blanket ban on coal mining failed to consider the social and economic impact and its continuation is further aggravating the harms of people who are directly reliant on coal mining as a surviving aspect of livelihood,” he said.

He also informed that the Forum had consistently pleaded before the NGT that their coal mining activities cannot be construed as illegal, in as much as the State and the Central Government accorded the recognition of the traditional method of coal mining in the State.

“Coal miners are paying royalties, taxes and other taxable cess and had vastly contributed towards the State exchequer, and nonetheless they have also the Constitutional protection being in the scheduled areas,” he added.

Further, the Forum continues to plead that the ethnic people are geared up to adapt themselves to the new scientific and safe mining methods, which would balance the protection of their livelihoods and water pollutions, they are also prepared for a sustainable development.

Stating that the Forum had placed their views and suggestions in formulating the mining plans, Swer however lamented, “But in-spite of all the co-operation rendered by coal miners, the NGT instead of accepting the proposed mining plans submitted by the State and supported by the Forum to lift the ban but the NGT instead disposed of the matter while making the ban infinite in-spite of the fact that the Supreme Court of India vide the order dated September 21, 2016, had directed the NGT to deal with the coal mining issue appropriately.”

He also informed that the Forum had also filed the RTI Application on the September 14 to the Ministry of Home Affairs, seeking information on the latest status of the submission seeking Presidential Notification for exempting the Central Mining Laws from the Scheduled areas in the State of Meghalaya.