The coal mining tragedy that has claimed 30 lives has once again highlighted structural weaknesses in Meghalaya's mining framework, prompting renewed calls for regulatory reform. Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar stated that the incident underscored the urgent need to streamline scientific mining policies and make them accessible to local miners. Expressing condolences to the bereaved families, Dhar said that the state government has been in discussions with the Centre for over a year to review scientific mining norms, particularly the minimum area requirement for leases, which he said poses difficulties for small local operators. He emphasized that while the government will not support illegal mining and will take action against violators, enforcement alone is not a long-term solution without viable legal alternatives. Dhar informed that SDRF teams are continuing rescue operations at the site and confirmed 30 deaths as of Tuesday evening. He warned that unless scientific mining is made practically implementable for local communities, illegal mining and such tragedies may persist.
