Guwahati, Oct. 8 -- A committee appointed by the Meghalaya High Court has found that more than 13 lakh metric tonnes of inventoried coal remain unaccounted for in the state, while none of the abandoned rat-hole mine openings have been secured despite repeated court orders.

The finding comes in the 41st interim report of the committee headed by retired Justice B.P. Katakey, which has called for a detailed investigation to establish who is responsible for the missing coal and continuing failures in dealing with illegal mining.

The Meghalaya High Court constituted the single-member committee in April 2022 to oversee compliance with directions issued by the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal in cases concerning unscientific and i...