Supreme Court Demands Meghalaya's Action Plan Against Illegal Mining

Supreme Court's Directive to Meghalaya Government

New Delhi, Aug 12: The Supreme Court has instructed the Meghalaya government to submit an affidavit within four weeks, outlining measures taken to curb alleged illegal mining in the Khasi hills.

A bench led by Chief Justice B R Gavai, along with Justices K Vinod Chandran and N V Anjaria, was informed by senior advocate K Parameshwar, who is serving as an amicus curiae, about the extensive mining activities occurring in the untouched forest region.

The amicus curiae reported that the central empowered committee (CEC) had visited the site and observed significant mining operations.

"We are granting four weeks as a final opportunity for the Meghalaya state to file an affidavit detailing the actions taken to prevent illegal mining activities," stated the bench.

The attorney representing Assam highlighted that illegal mining in Meghalaya has led to flooding issues, adversely affecting local residents.

In response, the counsel for Meghalaya mentioned that the CEC conducted an inspection on July 18 and provided a questionnaire to the state, to which Meghalaya had submitted a response.

However, the bench noted that the CEC had not received this response.

The Meghalaya counsel argued that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had already issued a comprehensive order regarding illegal mining.

He contended that illegal mining activities had ceased and only legal mining operations were permitted.

Furthermore, he stated that Meghalaya did not respond to the CEC's inquiries. The bench has scheduled the next hearing for September.