Shillong, Aug. 8 -- After a 10-year long ban, Meghalaya has officially resumed coal mining under a strict scientific and regulated framework, marking what state officials have called this a turning point for the state's mineral economy.
The resumption comes after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) imposed a sweeping ban on April 17, 2014, citing severe environmental degradation, water contamination, and dangerous working conditions from the infamous "rat-hole" mining method.
The tribunal had found that unregulated mining violated multiple environmental laws, damaged fragile ecosystems, and posed grave risks to miners and nearby communities.
Two coal blocks- Saryngkham A in East Jaintia Hills district and Pyndengshahlang in West Khasi Hill...