Shillong, Oct. 14 -- Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said that the state government is seeking a major reduction in the minimum mine lease size from 100 hectares down to 5-10 hectares in order to bring small-scale coal miners into the legal fold.
A technical team constituted by the union Coal Ministry had recently visited and inspected coal-bearing areas in the East Jaintia Hills and Khasi Hills districts to assess the feasibility of scientific mining on such a small area.
The team included officials from the Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Limited (CMPDIL), the Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS), and the Meghalaya Directorate of Mineral Resources.
Sangma said that the proposal aims to make legal mining accessib...