Shillong (Meghalaya), April 18: The Jaiñtia National Council today urged the Meghalaya BJP to secure a Presidential exemption from the MMDR Act for coal mining, calling it the only route to protect ancestral miners in Jaintia Hills after what it termed a “fruitful” meeting with State General Secretary Wankit Pohshna.
JNC Central Executive Committee President Sambormi Lyngdoh, who led the talks on the BJP’s invitation, said the Supreme Court’s 2019 order permitting regulated mining under MMDR norms still “fundamentally mismatches” Meghalaya’s traditional land tenure and small-scale pits. He cited the April 7, 2026 Khliehriat rally where thousands of miners demanded a policy aligned with the state’s topography, customary rights, and community-based operations. The Council had first flagged the issue in a March 17, 2026 memorandum to the BJP.
“Coal is the lifeline of our people’s livelihoods,” Lyngdoh said, adding that Pohshna assured the matter would be escalated to the Central Government. While acknowledging the apex court’s mandate for MMDR compliance, the JNC argued that Para 12A(b) of the Sixth Schedule empowers the President to exempt Parliamentary laws from Scheduled Areas. Exemption for coal, Lyngdoh said, is the “clearest path forward” because the existing 100-hectare SOP excludes ancestral operators without vast holdings.
Pointing to precedent, he noted the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir and Meghalaya’s exemption from CAA provisions. “With political will, exempting Meghalaya from MMDR’s coal mining constraints poses no insurmountable barrier and would restore economic justice,” Lyngdoh said.
He also rejected Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s recent argument that central laws must remain uniform, saying it “overlooks Sixth Schedule’s unique protections for our land and resources” that are not extended nationwide. The JNC thanked the state BJP for taking up the demand as a people’s cause and sought inclusion in central-level dialogues.
