Shillong, March 31, 2022: Meghalaya government on Thursday approved the Meghalaya Minor Minerals Reclamation Fund Management Guidelines, 2022.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said the government had started a reclamation fund for the minor minerals back in the year 2014 to rectify the damages caused to forest and environment as a result of mining activities, based on the order of the High Court.
“Based on that, the funds have been collected but the guidelines to use them had not been frame. (In view of this, the guidelines are being framed and today) the cabinet has approved it,” he said.
CM Sangma informed that the utilization of the funds will be undertaken through a governing body headed by the Forest Minister and through an executive committee.
According to him, the fund is mainly to reclaim the areas where the minor minerals have been excavated and is in line with the major mineral reclamation fund where everything from filling up the areas where the mining took place to plantation of trees, increasing of the greenery, protection of water bodies.
Stating that there is no specific amount for a specific fund, the chief minister said, “…it will depend on the proposal that will come up so a number of departments have been identified through which the implementation will be done for example the soil conservation, the water resources, the mining and geology, the forest department, pollution board – different departments have been identified through which this fund will be released and this will be worked out at the executive committee level which will finally move by the governing body.”