Tura, July 16: “I was running a small tea shop at Nongalbibra. The ban
on coal mining and the insurgency situation has forced me to flee the
place”, said Rofiqul Islam of Mankachar in Assam’s Dhubri district.
Islam was running a small tea stall at Nongalbibra in Meghalaya’s
South Garo Hills for about five years. He is now selling fish in Tura
from door to door. He said, “At Nongalbibra, I use to save Rs. 20000 a
month. Now, I can hardly earn a profit of Rs. 250 a day. I travel
every day from Mankachar with a bucket of different varieties of local
fish”.
Like Islam there are many from neigbouring Assam’s district of
Goalpara and Dhubri, who lived and worked in the coal mines and other
trades in South Garo Hills.
Three months down the line after the ban on coal mining imposed by
National Green Tribunal (NGT) in Meghalaya, the coal rich belt of Garo
hills is visibly deserted. The market is closed down with only local
population to be seen around.
“The market would be abuzz with people here at Nongalbibra. After the
ban, all labourers, truck drivers and traders have left”, said
Nikcheng Sangma, a school teacher at Nongalbibra.
The tea stalls and rice shops, which were dependent on people engaged
in coal trade, have almost closed down. “There is hardly people to
drink tea, lunch and dinner”, said Nimre Marak, a rice shop owner.
“People have fled from the area. It is a ghost town now”, she added.
The coal rich belt of Garo hills is sparsely populated. These
locations are remote, backward and lack in various government
amenities. The flourishing coal mining was aiding to their income and
livelihood.
“Many have become jobless. We are all in limbo whether the coal trade
will be made operational or not”, said Chiang D Shira, a coal
exporter. The two most happening coal trade centres at Nongalbibra and
Jadi has no security whatsoever, which has led to another menace. The
costly equipments from the mining site are being stolen.
Zinba N Sangma, a mine owner said, “The ban has left almost everyone
crippled, the theft of property is driving us nuts. Equipments meant
for the mines are being stolen and sold by unscrupulous thieves, who
are taking advantage of the lack of people. We are getting hit both
ways”.
Georgemon Marak, another mine owner said that they will keep their
fighting as too many people were affected. “There are too many
affected by the ban and we have to keep fighting for the right to earn
a living. Hopefully, the government can work out the modalities and
ensure we can restart the whole thing, keeping the environment in
mind. The government has failed to provide any alternatives for lakhs,
who are without any income sources”.
A medicine store owner at Jadi Silrang N Marak said, “My shop was well
off even though it is small. We have no customers we are literally
bankrupt and wonder when things will change?”
The situation is such that many, who had taken loan to buy cars, have
no options but to sell. “Everyone is worried about the situation. We
are hoping against hope that the mining will once again become
operational”, said Sirgan Sangma, a resident of Nongalbibra.
The lack of employment options in the coal rich belt is also being
attributed to the high numbers of anti-social activities, which is on
rise, including dacoity and kidnapping.
On June 23, Lok Sabha MP from Shillong Vincent Pala sought Prime
Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention to come up with a rehabilitation
package for the people, who have been affected by the ban.
“The centre must immediately step in to roll out an alternative
rehabilitation scheme for the owners, workers, dependents and cement
factories so that they are saved from these mindless orders,” Pala
wrote in his letter to Modi.
The ban was imposed by NGT on April 17. On June 9, the matter was
heard by the tribunal in Shillong, wherein it refused to vacate the
interim order but passed further orders for disposing of the extracted
coal.(SP News)
