Over 4,000 tonnes of coal have gone missing in Meghalaya, with state Excise Minister Kyrmen Shylla offering an unusual explanation for the disappearance: heavy rainfall may have washed it all away.
The Meghalaya High Court recently questioned the state government about the vanished coal, which was supposed to be under official watch in Rajaju and Diengngan villages. The court has now directed the government to take action against the officials responsible for monitoring the stock.
“Meghalaya receives the highest rainfall. You never know… because of rain, the coal might have swept away. Chances are very high,” Shylla told reporters, pointing to the state’s well-known record for the highest rainfall in the country.
However, the Excise Minister clarified that he was not justifying the loss, admitting when pressed that there was no conclusive proof that rain had washed the coal away or that illegal activity was involved.
Coal mining and transportation in Meghalaya have been under a ban imposed by the National Green Tribunal since 2014 due to unregulated and unsafe mining practices that caused water contamination and safety hazards. Earlier this year, the first scientific coal mining operations began in the East Jaintia Hills.
When asked about activists’ repeated claims that illegal coal mining remains rampant in the state despite the ban, Shylla did not offer a concrete answer.
He maintained there was no firm evidence to support such allegations but acknowledged that people might resort to illegal mining out of the need to survive.
“But I believe that our people, if it is for survival, might do it illegally… otherwise nobody wants to do anything that could harm the state,” Shylla said.
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