Guwahati: While various agencies are struggling to trace the 15 miners trapped in a rat-hole mine in East Jaintia Hills district, the Supreme Court on Tuesday banned the transportation of coals in Meghalaya till Febrauray 19.
It is significant that the coal mine owners had claimed before the apex court on May 31, 2018, that quantity of extracted coal stood at 1,76,655 metric tonnes.
On December 4 last year, the Supreme Court had allowed transportation of extracted coal till January 31 this year.
The next date of hearing for final disposal was fixed for January 15. Earlier, the court had extended the deadline for transportation several times.
The SC ban comes after social activists Agnes Kharshing, Amita Sangma, Angela Rangad and Michael N. Syiem submitted a report to the court where in it alleged that the Meghalaya government “actively colluded in helping coal miners” to extract coal, blatantly flouting the ban set by the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
