Shillong, Aug. 13 -- A one-member judicial committee appointed by the Meghalaya High Court has called for the establishment of state- and district-level public grievance committees to address complaints related to illegal coal mining.
In its 39th interim report submitted to the High Court, the Justice (retired) Brojendra Prasad Katakey said, "These committees should be independent, transparent, accountable, technology-enabled, and objective. Ideally, they should be headed by neutral individuals and include an eminent private member over whom the government has no control.
Katakey emphasised the need for these committees to have defined powers, including emergency powers. "They should also have clear timelines for complaint disposal, prote...