CAG flags misuse of Rs 1.07 crore SDRF funds on illegal mining victims in Meghalaya

Meghalaya's Revenue and Disaster Management Department faces scrutiny after the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) exposed the diversion of Rs 1.07 crore from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to compensate victims of illegal coal mining—a clear breach of guidelines.

The 2023 audit report, tabled in the Assembly on February 27, details payments made in July 2019. These included Rs 16.50 lakh to 14 deceased and five injured victims at Mengkulgittim in Rongsa Awe village, South Garo Hills. Another Rs 90 lakh went to 18 families of those killed at Ksan coal mines in East Jaintia Hills, at Rs 5 lakh per person.

“Extending relief to 37 individuals involved in illegal activities stands in stark contradiction to the SDRF guidelines,” the CAG noted. Coal mining has been banned in Meghalaya by the National Green Tribunal since 17 April 2014.

The department defended the payouts, blaming flooding from excessive rainfall and promising to seek State Executive Committee approval. The CAG rejected this, stating: “The State Executive Committee (SEC) is not mandated to regularise an expenditure incurred for supporting any activity declared illegal by NGT.”

Sources indicate the CAG may now probe similar compensation pledged to families hit by illegal mining at Mynsngat-Thangsko on February 5 this year.

The report uncovers wider lapses, including Rs 8.10 crore spent from SDRF on unnotified events like heavy rain, strong winds, thunder squalls, and hailstorms. Guidelines limit SDRF to specific calamities such as cyclones, floods, earthquakes, and landslides.

Payments often came 9–12 months late, and 15 cases mismatched sanction classifications. The department plans to correct nomenclature with deputy commissioners, but the CAG criticised the lack of due diligence: “The audit findings indicate that the Department did not conduct a thorough examination to assess the admissibility and adherence to established guidelines prior to approving the relief funds.”