SHILLONG, Oct 13: Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Tuesday said he did not have the details of the 41st interim report of the High Court-appointed committee headed by Justice (retired) B.P. Katakey, which recorded an undisputed shortage of over 13 lakh metric tonnes of inventoried coal.
The report also noted that not a single abandoned rat-hole mine had been closed or fenced despite years of court directions.
Asked about the findings, Sangma said he would need to examine the report before commenting on the specific observations and figures.
“I don’t know about the exact report, and I think it will not be correct for me to reply to that,” he said, adding that he would respond after obtaining the relevant information.
While declining to comment directly on the missing coal or the potential loss of government revenue, Sangma said the process of utilising funds through the Meghalaya Environment Protection and Restoration Fund (MEPRF) was under way. Procedures laid down by the Government of India and the courts had, however, made the implementation more complicated, Sangma added.
On the closure of abandoned mines, he said pilot projects were being processed and the government expected to obtain the necessary clearances soon.
He distinguished the closure of mines from their fencing, indicating that closure-related work was under process.
Sangma did not give a timeline for completing the closure of abandoned mines, stating only that the government was awaiting clearances for the proposed pilot projects.