A committee appointed by the Meghalaya High Court has recorded a shortage of 13,02,456.184 metric tonnes (MT) of inventoried coal in the state. Its 41st interim report calls for an inquiry to establish who is responsible.
The findings were also reported by PTI and other media outlets. The committee is headed by retired Justice B.P. Katakey and monitors compliance with court directions on illegal coal mining.
The shortage is the difference between the stock recorded by the state and the quantity later verified on the ground. In an affidavit to the Supreme Court, the state said 32,56,715 MT of extracted coal was available. Physical verification by Deputy Commissioners found 19,54,258.816 MT, leaving a gap of 13,02,456.184 MT.
The committee said the shortage remains undisputed even if the Deputy Commissioners’ figures are accepted.
An aerial assessment put the quantity lower still, media reports said. The gap is equivalent to about 52,000 truckloads at 25 tonnes each. Moving that volume at 100 trucks a day would take around 520 days.
The National Green Tribunal banned rat-hole coal mining in 2014 following fatal accidents and environmental damage.
In 2019, the Supreme Court modified the ban and placed the state government in charge of coal already extracted, directing that it be handed to Coal India Limited for auction under regulated conditions. Read more about the background in this explainer on rat-hole mining.
The High Court constituted the single-member committee in April 2022 to monitor compliance with directions from the Supreme Court, the NGT and the High Court. The committee said an inquiry was necessary because the Supreme Court had made the state government the receiver and custodian of the coal.
The state had attributed part of the difference to variations between physical measurements and drone-based surveys, as well as coal that had been auctioned or seized. The committee has not accepted those explanations in their entirety, media reports said.
Illegally mined coal outside depots
The report also deals with 37,449.53 tonnes of illegally mined coal found outside Coal India Limited depots that later went missing. Initially, FIRs had been filed for only 4,141.83 tonnes, leaving 33,307.7 tonnes requiring further legal action.
On 17 September, the state told the committee that FIRs had been registered for the entire quantity. However, the panel noted that police station case numbers and investigation updates had not been provided.
Abandoned pits and enforcement gaps
The committee said no rat-hole mine opening had been closed or fenced despite repeated directions.
The state has cited Meghalaya’s private, clan and customary land ownership systems, as well as the risk of fencing being damaged in remote areas. The committee again sought a timeline for securing abandoned openings, with temporary fencing until permanent measures are completed.
The report records a fresh suspected case of illegal mining at Sakhain village in East Jaintia Hills. An FIR was registered at Khliehriat police station on 3 September after a new pit was reported. The committee noted that the police report did not mention the seizure of equipment visible in site photographs.
Between 2023 and 2026, authorities seized 62 vehicles and 92 pieces of equipment in illegal mining and transport cases.
However, confiscation proceedings under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act had begun in only one case. A Mining and Geology Department plan to prevent, detect and control illegal mining and transport was also awaiting approval.
No compensation has been paid to the family of Durba Rai, whose body was recovered earlier this year from an unprotected illegal mine pit in East Jaintia Hills. A police case has been registered over the death.
Environmental restoration remains unresolved. Projects to revive the Kyrhuhkhla and Lunar rivers have in-principle approval but have not been implemented. Funds set aside for restoration remain unused because sufficient project proposals have not been submitted, media reports said.
What the state has done
The state notified a revised procedure for transporting scientifically mined coal on 14 September. It includes safeguards intended to stop illegally mined coal from being transported as legal material. The measures were proposed by the committee, media reports said.
Scientific mining refers to coal extraction under a lease and with required environmental clearances. The Supreme Court’s 2019 ruling paved the way for regulated mining under specified conditions, and the Union Coal Ministry approved the first permissions in January 2025. A report on the approval process provides further background.
What the committee wants next
The committee has sought timelines to establish responsibility for the missing coal, secure abandoned mine openings, complete pending criminal proceedings and improve systems for reporting illegal mining, including protection against retaliation.
The report records some steps, including revised transport procedures, but says key issues remain unresolved: the unexplained coal shortage, gaps in police investigations and delays in environmental restoration.
Also Read: Explained: Why Mizoram’s autonomous councils are under severe financial crisis
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