Shillong, August 13: The Supreme Court has granted the Meghalaya government a final four-week deadline to detail measures taken to curb alleged illegal mining in the Khasi Hills region. The directive came during a hearing on August 12 before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India B R Gavai, along with Justices K Vinod Chandran and N V Anjaria.
Senior advocate K. Parameshwar, acting as amicus curiae, informed the court of “rampant mining activities” in the area’s protected forests, despite existing bans. The court was also told by Assam’s counsel that such illegal mining in Meghalaya was worsening flood situations and causing hardship to citizens in neighbouring Assam.
The amicus curiae noted that a Central Empowered Committee (CEC) inspection had confirmed the ongoing illegal mining, but Meghalaya had failed to provide a timely reply to the committee. The state’s counsel countered, stating that a site visit took place on July 18, after which a questionnaire from the CEC was answered, and that the National Green Tribunal had already issued a detailed order on the matter.
The court stressed that this was the “last chance” for the state to submit an affidavit outlining steps to halt illegal mining, before posting the case for hearing in September.
