SHILLONG, Aug 30, 2017: The contemplated move of the BJP government at the centre to scrap the National Green Tribunal (NGT) may come as good news for the coal mine owners of Meghalaya who have continuous been petitioning the centre to lift the NGT ban on coal mining in the state.

The supposed justification by the Modi-led Government to scrap NGT to facilitate development has however, triggered sharp criticisms from several quarters particularly environmentalists.

The hammer of the NGT fell on Meghalaya way back in April 17, 2014 when the Tribunal banned rat-hole mining and coal transportation in Meghalaya after All Dimasa Student Union and Dimasa Hasao District committee filed a petition.

Though the order came as a breather for environmentalists who have been fighting against environmental degradation in Jaintia Hills due to uncheck and unscientific mining, the same however, struck a chord of uncertainty and chaos in the months that followed after two persons including a woman were killed in the alleged police firing at Mookhep in East Jaintia Hills on September 29, 2014 during the indefinite economic strike called by the Movement for Indigenous people’s Right and Livelihood to oppose the blanket ban on coal mining on

NGT was set up under the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, for effective monitoring and speedy disposal of cases related to conservation and protection of environment, forests and natural resources. However, through the Finance Act 2017, the Central government altered the very foundation of the National Green Tribunal.

While foreseeing the dangers that awaits if NGT is done away with, former Union Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh while referring to Meghalaya observed that unscientific coal mining is disastrous for the environment and the NGT has done a commendable job in curtailing mining activities in the state.

Speaking to media persons soon after releasing his book –Indira Gandhi: A Life in Nature at the Heritage Club in Shillong on Tuesday, Ramesh said “Coal mining is environmentally devastating and unless we improve our system of mining it will have disastrous consequences and NGT did the right thing.”

On the contemplated move on the union government to scrap NGT, Ramesh said that the Tribunal is facing the threat of dissolution and that he has petitioned in the Supreme Court against this. The former minister felt that the Tribunal’s tough stance against Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s ‘Art of Living’ for polluting the Yamuna has led to such turn of events and prompted the BJP in power to come down on the green monitoring body.

After the direct confrontation between Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and the NGT where the Godman was fined heavily for damaging the Yamuna river banks for his conference it seems the BJP govt has decided that enough is enough as they move to scrap the NGT.

Meanwhile, when contacted, Movement for Indigenous People’s Rights and Livelihoods (MIPRL) legal adviser Erwin Sutnga stated that he does not subscribe to the move of the government at the centre to scrap NGT but maintained that the tribunal should have a provision in place to recognise the traditional practice of the indigenous people.

Not denying the ‘unrealistic’ approach of the NGT to impose a blanket ban on coal mining in Meghalaya overnight, Sutnga said “NGT is a good thing if it is run properly but the main problem lies with the absence of a provision to recognise our traditional and land rights.”

The BJP-led government’s move to dissolve the tribunal might come as good news for Independent legislators Justine Dkhar and Robinus Syngkon who recently called upon BJP national President Amit Shah at New Delhi seeking the government intervention into the coal mining ban and setting conditions before they join the party.

They have called upon the Centre to help in withdrawing the ban on coal mining by NGT and speed up the process of exempting Meghalaya from the purview of central mining laws through the presidential notification using the provision under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

Reacting to this contemplated move, prominent environmentalist HH Mohrmen, who was instrumental in raising his voice against unscientific coal mining in Jaintia Hills after two major rivers in the area paid the price and transformed into ‘dead rivers’, is of the view that “The recent development is nothing but a political gimmick”. With the state going to polls next year, “Assurances, promises will be made at this junction but it is not easy to scrap the Tribunal.”

Mohrmen however, expressed hope in fair judgement stating that “The recent developments in the country are all positive and we have a strong judiciary which cannot be influenced by any government. The Ram Rahim verdict and the Right to Privacy as a fundamental right judgement are some of the few examples of our strong and independent judiciary.”

TNT News