A Central team has carried out inspection in coal rich areas of Khasi-Jaintia Hills to check feasibility of revising coal mining norms to address concern of small miners in Meghalaya.
The visit of the team from Union Ministry of Coal followed Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma’s meeting with Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy in New Delhi on July 7, 2026.
During the meeting, Sangma raised concerns over the plight of coal-dependent families and explored options for reviving the sector.
Although the blanket ban on coal mining in Meghalaya was lifted by the Supreme Court in 2019, the new norms for scientific coal mining, especially the minimum required area, have prevented small miners to resume their businesses.
The team, accompanied by officials of Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Limited (CMPDIL), Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS) and the state’s Directorate of Mineral Resources, visited the areas last week as part of ongoing discussions between the Centre and the state government on restarting small-scale coal mining.
During the visit, the technical team examined existing mining practices and assessed the scope for conducting operations in accordance with scientific methods, safety standards, environmental safeguards and applicable legal requirements.