Shillong, July 29 -- Meghalaya Cabinet Minister and United Democratic Party (UDP) MLA from Khliehriat, Kyrmen Shylla, has said that heavy rainfall could be responsible for the disappearance of nearly 4,000 metric tonnes of coal from two depots in the state.

The missing coal came to notice following the submission of the 31st interim report by the Justice (Retd.) BP Katakey committee to the Meghalaya High Court last week.

Reacting to the report, Shylla said that Meghalaya receives one of the highest amounts of rainfall in the country, and suggested that the rain may have washed away the coal. He also referred to recent claims that flooding in Assam was linked to heavy rainfall in Meghalaya.

Shylla stated that he was not aware of any ill...