ABSTRACT
The ban on coal mining by the National Green Tribunal in Meghalaya has severely affected local labourers who relied on coal-related activities. With mining halted, many attempted to shift to agriculture, but marginal farmers faced problems due to limited land availability and highly acidic soils. Unscientific rat-hole mining had led to widespread soil contamination, loss of fertility and erosion, turning once-cultivable land into barren wastelands.
