Shillong, Apr 12: The Meghalaya government will pursue a resolution passed by the Meghalaya State Legislative Assembly with the Centre in order to get Meghalaya exempted from central laws related to mining.

This decision was taken at the State Cabinet meeting on Friday where the cabinet also decided to knock at the Centre’s door so that the ban on mining in the State is lifted.

The National Green Tribunal has banned coal mining in Meghalaya since April 17, 2014 till date.

Senior Cabinet Minister Prestone Tynsong told reporters after the Cabinet meeting that Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma would lead a team comprising ministers to New Delhi on Friday to follow-up the resolution on coal mining already passed by the Meghalaya State Assembly in 2015 to urge the Centre to invoke Para 12 A (b) of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution to exempt Meghalaya from the provisions of Central laws on mining.

The team would also discuss with the Centre how to find a way out regarding the ban on coal mining in the State.

“After the meeting with the Centre, the chief minister will also present a statement in the Assembly during the ongoing Budget session,” he said.

The budget session of the tenth Meghalaya Assembly is going on, and it will conclude on April 20.

Tynsong said that though the state would fight for exempting Meghalaya from the purview of Central laws on mining, but the state government would not compromise with issues concerning the environment.

In 2015, the ninth Meghalaya Assembly had unanimously adopted a resolution to urge upon the Central government to invoke Para 12 A (b) of the Sixth Schedule through a presidential notification to exempt Meghalaya from the Central laws related to mining.

The laws include the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulations) Act, and the Coal Mines (Nationalisation) Act.