Illegal Coal Mine Operates Openly Under Police Nose in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills, Reveals Katakey Committee

A shocking instance of administrative failure has come to light in Meghalaya, where a fully operational illegal coal mine functioned undetected for months in Lumbangla village, East Jaintia Hills, despite being located just a short distance from the Umpleng Outpost of Khliehriat Police Station.

The 34th interim report of the Justice (Retd) B.P. Katakey-headed one-man committee, appointed by the National Green Tribunal, has severely criticised the local police and civil administration for their inability to spot a large-scale illegal mining site that featured reinforced cement-concrete boundary walls, heavy cranes, mining equipment, and over 2,112 metric tonnes of freshly extracted coal dumped in the open.

The matter surfaced after Mawlai MLA Brightstarwell Marbaniang filed a complaint on November 19, 2025, backed by video evidence of active mining. The legislator told the committee that the Dorbar Shnong of Lumbangla had repeatedly approached the Superintendent of Police on August 11, 2025, and the Chief Secretary on May 9, 2025, but no action was taken. During his own visit to the site on September 27, 2025, Marbaniang witnessed ongoing illegal extraction and immediately informed the SP — yet nothing was done.

Following the MLA’s complaint, the Katakey committee, in its meeting on November 20, 2025, issued strict directions: the Director of Mineral Resources was asked to ensure an immediate visit by the senior-most Additional Deputy Commissioner, while the SP of East Jaintia Hills was personally ordered to go to Lumbangla, stop all mining activity, and seize the illegally extracted coal under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957. Both officers were required to submit reports by November 24, 2025.

Although reports were eventually filed, the committee found glaring irregularities. The police case (Khliehriat PS Case No. 64/2025) showed conflicting dates — the FIR claimed registration on September 28, 2025, while the investigating officer recorded October 6, 2025. More alarmingly, only two coal dumps were seized despite clear photographic evidence of cranes, tools, freshly built plastic-covered huts, and concrete fortifications indicating a long-running, organised operation.

Justice Katakey observed that illegal mining continues unabated in the area despite the National Green Tribunal’s ban since 2014, the Supreme Court’s 2019 verdict upholding regulated mining with strict conditions, and repeated court directives. He termed the episode a “serious reflection” on the district’s civil and police administration.

To prevent recurrence, the committee has directed the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police of East Jaintia Hills to:

- Identify all vulnerable mining zones  
- Intensify patrolling  
- Secure every entry and exit point  
- Stop the movement of illegally mined coal  
- Personally oversee implementation  

Both officers must now submit monthly compliance reports to the Chief Secretary or an officer not below the rank of Additional Chief Secretary.

Also Read: Assam headmaster's Rs 1.38 Lakh scam sparks outrage: Tradition of corruption?