Coal news and updates

Konyak Union (KU) has resolved to enforce a ban on coalmine extraction under Mon district jurisdiction till a systematic and safety method was put in place. 

According to a press release issued by KU president S. Manlip Konyak and general secretary Y. Hosea Konyak, the ban would be enforced with effect from October 2014 and the same would be intimated to the geology & mining department and the district administration for co-operation and implementation.  

The decision was taken at a KU advisory board meeting held on February 16 in Mon. The meeting thoroughly discussed and deliberated on issues pertaining to illegal coal mining under Mon district.

KU informed that since 2008 and 2009, the geology & mining department had been issuing random coal-mining licenses to many firms/individuals like TCP (Tiru Coalmine Project) & NCP (Nagaland Coalmine Project) for extraction of coal from Mon district like Tiru, Naganimora and Tizit. 

KU said that none of the coalmine contractors/firms had re-filled the excavated area as agreed in the MoU and and now the entire areas posed danger to all living beings including villagers.

Questioning the geology & mining department for collecting or accepting only tax (royalties) without estimating safety measures, KU said the department should accept the responsibility of all failures. The union also demanded immediate safety measures in the areas.

KU called on the department, the commissioner & secretary (geology & mining), commissioner & secretary (forest & environment), including district administration to come and conduct a spot verification.

The union urged the geology & mining department not to renew or issue any more coalmine license under Mon district, till such safety measures were introduce and implemented in the affected areas.  

Coal royalty enhanced

Government of Nagaland has decided to enhance the existing rate of coal royalty from Rs. 165 per tonne to Rs. 290 with effect from November 1, 2012.

According to a notification issued by the department of geology and mining, the enhancement has been effected in exercise of power conferred by rule 12 of the Nagaland Coal Mining Rules, 2006 enacted under section-15 of the Nagaland (Ownership and Transfer of Land and its Resources) Act, 1990 and a cabinet decision dated February 10, 2014. 

The notification said the rate of royalty would be a combination of specific and ad valorem rates of royalty. 

The royalty would be collected as per data generated by the weigh bridge and in places where installation of weigh bridge was practically difficult, royalty would be collected based on volume measurement of the truck body, said the notification issued by secretary to the government Bendang Longchari.

 

 

Source: http://www.nagalandpost.com/