North East Space Application Centre proves Shillong Lok Sabha MP Vincent H Pala Wrong

A Correspondent

Shillong: The satellite data provided by the North East Space Application Centre (NESAC) indicated that mining activities in the coal mines of Jaintia Hills are still active despite the ban by NGT. Ironically it has proven Shillong Lok Sabha MP, Vincent H Pala’s claim wrong.

It may be mentioned that last week, Pala told a section of the media that he did not think that there is illegal mining still going on.

According to him, when one transports the already extracted coal which has been assessed from the mining areas to the main road, it cannot be termed as illegal mining. Pala had also said that it was expensive for the miners to dump the coal in the main road and therefore when the miners expect that transportation of coal will be allowed by the NGT then they bring them into the main road from the mines.

“I have noticed recently when I visited the mining areas that there were no freshly dug mines since there are water-filled up mines and taking the water out is expensive,” Pala had stated.

However, it was reported that Justice BP Kakoti, the chairman of the NGT committee said that in the recent two meetings, the satellite data presented to the committee by the NESAC revealed mining activities were still going on. As per official data provided by the state government over 1,000 cases were registered against illegal coal mining and its transportation.

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