Shillong, May 13: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday said that the decision of the State government to allow transportation of coal from outside was a “matter of legality.”

“The government is trying to resolve it and I appealed to the stakeholders in East Jaiñtia Hills district to understand the current situation. Their concerns and emotions are there over the fact that coal is coming from outside. We have our limitations because of the legal challenges that we face,” Sangma told reporters while replying to a question on the protest in East Jaiñtia Hills district against the import of coal from Assam to cement companies operating in the district.

On the 2 lakh metric tons identified by the Coal India Limited  for auctioning, Sangma informed that 10 days back, he had discussed the issue with Union Coal Minister, Piyush Goyal and wrote a letter to him too.

“After the Union Minister’s intervention, the permission was given (for auctioning), and now it is in the process. I hope very soon I should say in a week or ten days time, necessary expressions will be floated,” the chief minister informed.

Hundreds of people in coal-rich areas of East Jaiñtia Hills district staged a protest by defying the nation-wide lockdown on Wednesday to oppose the decision of the Meghalaya government to allow cement plants to bring coal from outside.

There has been strong opposition against the state government’s decision to import coal from Assam to feed the cement plants.

More than 12 groups including coal miners and dealers association and traditional institutions took to the streets at Lad Jaliyiah area after the government refused to withdraw its order of allowing transportation of coal from Assam.

Synjuk Waheh Shnong, East Jaiñtia Hills district, Satly Ryngkhlem said that the people of East Jaiñtia were forced to take to the streets to protest against the government’s decision to allow transportation of coal from Assam in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ryngkhlem said that the traditional institutions, pressure groups and coal miners and dealers association in the district have now given a four-day ultimatum to the Meghalaya government to reverse its order, failing which,  “we have no other option to cooperate with it to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in the State.”

The State Coordination Committee of Coal Owners, Miners, Exporters, Transporters & Dealer’s Forum has also expressed strong resentment to the State Government for issuing an order permitting coal laden trucks to ply from Assam to cement plants in East Jaiñtia Hills district that too from Assam, the COVID-19 hotspot in the Northeast.

“It is indeed shocking and condemnable. In light of the above-mentioned, the Forum urges upon the State Government to put on hold the permitted order to allow coal laden trucks to cater the requirement of the cement companies in East Jaiñtia Hills,” M. Kharkongor, secretary of the Forum, said in the letter submitted to Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma.

Kharkongor said that the Forum would rather insist on the State Government to put in more effort in obtaining the go ahead direction to start the process of auctioning the 32 lakhs metric tons of extracted coal as claimed by the State Government in the sworn in affidavit before the Supreme Court in June last year.

“Out of the 32 lakh metric tons, the NGT has permitted in March this year, 2 lakhs metric tons for transportation and the State Government should utilize the said extracted coal instead of importing coal from outside the State. The Forum strongly endorses to support the NGO’s in East Jaiñtia Hills that opposed importing of coal from outside the State,” Kharkongor said.