Konyak Union revokes ban on coal extraction in Mon

EMN Dimapur, October 7 The Konyak Union (KU) has revoked ban on coal extraction and decided to allow mining with appropriate Coal Mine License (CML) or Mining Lease (ML) based on KU constitution that protects the natural environment. The decision was taken after thorough deliberations on the illegal coalmining at a meeting of the apex body KU Advisory Board on October 2 at Mon headquarters. The KU had earlier declared to enforce total ban on coalmine extraction under Mon district with effect from October 2014. Informing this to all concerned village council and coal contractors under Mon district, KU president S. Manlip Konyak and general secretary Y.Hosea in a release appealed to the Geology & Mining Department & district administration to come forward and extent complete support to insist on legal and systematic methods coalmine extraction in Mon. According to KU, some instructions for strictly follow-up action by all are that the extraction of coalmine shall be allowed/resumed based on complete legal and systematic operations but the total ban shall continually imposed on illegal coalmining methods. No coalmine contractors shall be allowed to extract coalmine without proper Coal Mining License (CML) and Mining Lease (ML), however if based on proper license the xerox copy of the license be submitted to apex KU Office HQ. Mon for verifications and record but failure to comply office notification the defaulter shall be punished under the mining rules and environmental acts, KU said. The Union said, no village council shall issue NOC (No Objection Certificate) without proper verification and justifications, however if the village council desires to issue NOC in their respective jurisdiction/ areas, the xerox copy of the NOC issued to any contractors shall be submitted to apex KU office for verifications and records. The apex KU said it would time to time enforce/conduct surprise checking at any place/designated gate. The Union instructed all village council chairmen/contractors to completely stick to the mining rules without any bias-visas. It however said, if the re-filling and re-plantations of the coal excavated areas are not implemented properly, then the village council authority shall be held responsible that would amount to be panelized with the deduction of any flagship programmes for the village or the village development fund like MNREGA with the approval of the district administration and department concerned (RD) for rehabilitations of the affected areas.