Meghalaya MP presses Centre to fast-track scientific coal mining, flags growing drug smuggling threat

Concerns over the long-running ban on coal mining in Meghalaya were raised in the Rajya Sabha on December 18, with National People’s Party MP Dr Wanweiroy Kharlukhi warning that the prohibition has not only destroyed livelihoods but also created fertile ground for drug smuggling in former mining areas.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Dr Kharlukhi urged the Centre to fast-track approval for scientific coal mining in the state, saying the continued delay has had serious social and economic consequences since the National Green Tribunal imposed the ban in 2014.

He said thousands of families who depended on coal mining had been pushed into distress. “Coal caters to the needs of thousands of families in the state. Right to earn is the fundamental right of every citizen, and I feel my people have been deprived of that right,” the MP told the House.

Dr Kharlukhi also drew attention to the financial collapse of autonomous district councils in Meghalaya, which earlier relied heavily on coal revenue. According to him, the ban crippled their functioning to the extent that employees went unpaid for long periods. “The staff of the district council, for months together, have had to go without pay,” he said, backing calls by MPs from Assam to amend the Sixth Schedule to strengthen district councils in the Northeast.

Highlighting the wider impact on public services, the MP said the state government earlier collected more than Rs 600 crore every year through coal cess, much of which supported the education sector. “When the ban was imposed, the collection was ‘zero’,” he said, adding that teachers were forced to protest on the streets for salaries during the first few years after 2014.

While welcoming the Centre’s decision to permit scientific mining in principle, Dr Kharlukhi cautioned that delays were fuelling illegal activities. He flagged a recent rise in drug-related arrests, particularly in coal-bearing regions. “The dangerous part is that recently, drug smuggling seems to be on the rise in my state,” he said, urging urgent intervention to ensure Meghalaya does not turn into “a corridor of drug peddling in the region.”

The MP appealed to the government to act swiftly, warning that prolonged inaction would deepen economic hardship and worsen law-and-order challenges in the state.