Shillong: The Home Minister of Meghalaya, Lahkmen Rymbui has affirmed that it is truly difficult for the police force to tackle illegal coal mining especially in mines that far flung with no proper road connectivity.
While saying this, Rymbui gave an example of a few coal mines which are situated in really far-flung areas that it takes about 7-8 hours of travelling time to reach these sites, and surveillance in such places becomes truly difficult for the police department.
However, in handling other criminal activities, the police have been strengthened with their intelligence group and when information of any illegal activity is received, the police take upon themselves the responsibility to do their duty of searching and conducting the enquiry well.
The situation at present in the State is that rat-hole coal mining which have been the practice in the state has been banned, and though hidden, illegal activities are revealed and the example of which is the death of a coal miner which a clear sign that even though mining has been banned, yet illegal coal mining continues from time to time in the State, especially in far flung areas which are hidden from the vast majority of the public eye.
