Shillong: Meghalaya has stepped up action against industries operating without environmental clearances, with 72 illegal coke plants demolished since 2023, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma told the Assembly on Tuesday.
The demolitions were carried out in two phases by the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board. The first phase in July 2023 saw 44 coke plants being demolished, while another 28 were removed in 2025.
Of the 44 plants demolished in 2023, 39 were located in West Khasi Hills and five in East Khasi Hills. In 2025, 17 plants were demolished in West Khasi Hills and 11 in East Jaintia Hills.
Sangma said the action against illegal coke plants was part of an ongoing exercise to ensure compliance with environmental laws. He made the statement while responding to a short-duration discussion on the 10-point charter of the Voice of the People Party (VPP), moved by party chief and Nongkrem MLA Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit.
He said industries could not operate without the necessary statutory approvals and that units failing to meet environmental requirements would be dealt with under the law.
The Chief Minister also informed the House that 711 cement plants in the Jaintia Hills had been inspected. Their pollution-control equipment has been connected to online monitoring systems to enable closer monitoring of emissions.
Coke and cement plants are required to obtain various statutory permissions, including consent to establish and consent to operate from the Pollution Control Board, wherever applicable, along with other approvals required under environmental regulations.
Sangma said the government was seeking to ensure that industrial activity and environmental protection progressed together.
Coal mining remains tied to regulatory compliance
On coal mining, Sangma said Meghalaya’s mining sector could operate only within the legal framework laid down by the Centre and the courts.
He clarified that the National Green Tribunal’s 2014 order was against unregulated coal mining, while the Supreme Court had directed that mining in the State must comply with the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, the Mines Act and the Environment Protection Act.
The State subsequently notified an SOP on March 5, 2021, setting out the process for granting prospecting licences and mining leases for coal.
According to Sangma, the Ministry of Coal has given prior approval for prospecting licences covering 30 blocks and mining leases covering 12 blocks. Mining has begun in three of these blocks.
However, the State Government continues to face a challenge over the minimum area required for a mining lease. Sangma said the 100-hectare requirement makes it difficult for smaller miners to enter the legal mining system.
The issue has been taken up with the Centre. A committee comprising representatives of the Ministry of Coal, Central Mine Planning and Design Institute, Directorate General of Mines Safety and the Meghalaya Government met on July 31 to examine the concerns.
Among the proposals put forward by the State are a reduction in the minimum concession area, greater delegation of powers to the State Government and the creation of a project monitoring unit.
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The State has also proposed examining alternative mining methods that can improve safety.
Sangma said the committee is expected to meet again within the next 20 to 30 days.
The government, he added, is holding discussions with the Centre and coal miners’ associations to facilitate the return of coal mining through legal channels while ensuring that mining operations meet safety and environmental requirements.
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