The district administration in East Jaintia Hills, acting on directives from the Meghalaya High Court, has mandated that police and magistrates identify and arrest not just mine operators but also financiers and backers of illegal coal extraction networks.
Authorities imposed a full ban on illegal coal mining in the Thangsko area, with orders to seize vehicles, machinery, tools and other assets linked to unauthorised operations to disrupt the syndicate’s financial support system.
The crackdown follows a fatal explosion at an unauthorised coal mine in the Thangsko region that triggered intensified enforcement drives, prohibitory orders, and a broader legal push against unlawful mining activities
The Meghalaya police, under strict direction from the state’s district administration and the High Court, are now tasked with pursuing the financial networks behind the illegal coal trade in the East Jaintia Hills, officials said on Sunday.
In a decisive move to clamp down on unauthorized coal extraction, authorities have imposed a comprehensive ban on illegal mining in the Thangsko area. District Magistrate Manish Kumar’s order instructs police and magistrates not only to arrest mine owners and operators but also to track down financiers and others who fund these illicit activities, aiming to strike at the economic roots of the illegal trade.
The directive comes amid heightened scrutiny after a recent explosion at an illegal coal mine in the Thangsko-Umsngat region, which has already claimed dozens of lives and prompted intensified enforcement by multiple agencies. Officials are also seizing vehicles, machinery and equipment linked to unregulated mining as part of the crackdown.
Authorities have emphasised that efforts will extend beyond direct participants in mining to anyone involved in facilitating, financing or profiting from these operations. Enforcement teams will carry out regular inspections, detain suspects, and bring cases under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act and related statutes.
Officials have warned that resistance to enforcement will not be tolerated and that all confiscated assets will be secured and processed under law. The aggressive stance reflects growing concern over not only safety and environmental degradation from unregulated coal mining but also the financial networks that sustain it.
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