Coal weighing as much as 1,000 Indian elephants goes missing in Meghalaya
Meghalaya High Court
criticised the state government over the unexplained disappearance of nearly 4,000 metric tonnes of illegally mined coal from depots in two villages, a state cabinet minister suggested that monsoon rains may have swept it away.
On 24 July, the bench of Justice H.S. Thangkhiew and Justice W. Diengdoh observed that 'unknown persons, it appears, have lifted and transported the coal,' and directed the government to identify and hold accountable those responsible for safeguarding it. The court also instructed authorities to 'trace the persons who have lifted this coal illegally.'
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Speaking to reporters on Monday, State Revenue and Disaster Management Minister
Kyrmen Shylla
said, 'Meghalaya receives the highest rainfall. You never know… because of rain, the coal might have swept away. Chances are very high.'
He clarified, however, that he was not trying to justify the disappearance and admitted that there was no conclusive evidence yet to determine whether the loss was due to natural causes or illegal activity. 'I cannot blame just the rain. It could be or it could not be. I really don't have any kind of details,' he added.
Authorities estimate that nearly 4,000 metric tonnes of coal are missing—an amount roughly equivalent to the combined weight of around 1,000 adult Indian elephants, assuming an average adult male Indian elephant weighs approximately 4 tonnes. Despite the substantial quantity, officials have yet to provide a clear explanation for the disappearance.
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Shylla emphasised that all activities related to coal mining or transportation must comply with the law, and that illegal practices must be curbed. The
National Green Tribunal
(NGT) had banned coal mining and transportation in Meghalaya in 2014, citing unsafe and unregulated mining practices, particularly the
rat-hole mining
technique prevalent in the state.
The matter came to light after the Justice (Retd.) B.P. Katakey Committee, set up by the High Court to monitor coal mining through a public interest litigation, reported the disappearance in one of its interim reports submitted in July. The missing coal was stored at depots in Rajaju and Diengngan villages.
The state government, in its status report to the Katakey Committee's 30th interim report, indicated that an FIR had been lodged. However, the court noted that 'no other information was given' in the status report.
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Thus was born the deterrence doctrine of MAD — mutually assured destruction — an anomalous form of ensuring 'security' in a SAD manner: Self-assured destruction. — 'To regulate the spread of nuclear weapons, the two superpowers introduced the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) in 1970, and while this had no legitimacy in law, it was a de facto imposition of realpolitik and techno-strategic power. The world was divided into the nuclear haves — the first five nuclear weapon powers (US, USSR/Russia, UK, France, and China) — and the permanent nuclear have-nots, who were compelled to forego the option of ever acquiring nuclear weapons.' — 'The quid pro quo was that the latter, the NNWS (non-nuclear weapon states), would have access to civilian nuclear technology, and they would not be threatened by an NWS (nuclear weapon state). Concurrently, the NWS agreed to 'negotiate in good faith' towards disarmament — this remains the elusive Holy Grail.' – 'In summary, the world had evolved two norms to ensure the sanctity of the nuclear taboo. One, that nuclear weapons would not be brandished to resolve territorial disputes (Pakistan was rebuked for its attempt to do so in the 1999 Kargil War), and secondly, the sovereignty of a NNWS would not be violated without legitimate sanction.' — 'There was no sabre-rattling for almost three decades, from 1991 till 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine and Moscow found it necessary to invoke its nuclear capability.' — 'This was a major setback to the deterrence template and agreements such as the 1975 Helsinki Accords that sanctified the inviolability of borders in Europe. This was compounded in June 2025 when Israel, not an NPT signatory, attacked Iran, a NNWS, on the assumption that Tehran was about to acquire a nuclear weapon in violation of its NPT commitment.' — 'The more alarming exigency is a breakdown in US-Russia relations and an unintended military escalation. While the probability is low, it merits notice that both nations possess the world's largest nuclear arsenals — Russia with 5,459 warheads and the US with 5,177 (Federation of American Scientists' 2025 report on the Status of the World's Nuclear Forces).' — 'Even a limited exchange could cause catastrophic loss of life. A 2019 Princeton University simulation estimated 91.5 million casualties in the first few hours of a US-Russia nuclear war, with long-term effects like radioactive fallout and global cooling adding to the atomic apocalypse.' Do You Know: — The NPT is an international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to foster the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to further the goal of disarmament. — In 1968, the NPT came into existence. The treaty defines nuclear-weapon states as those that have built and tested a nuclear explosive device before January 1, 1967 – the US, Russia (formerly USSR), the UK, France and China – and effectively disallows any other state from acquiring nuclear weapons. — While the treaty has been signed by almost every country in the world, India is one of the few non-signatories. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Explained: India's doctrine of Nuclear No First Use 📍Knowledge Nugget | All you need to know about India's nuclear might for UPSC exam 📍Was Hiroshima a show of strength meant to shape future order? Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme: (5) Consider the following countries: (UPSC CSE 2015) 1. China. 2. France 3. India 4. Israel 5. Pakistan Which among the above are Nuclear Weapons States as recognized by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)? (a) 1 and 2 only (b) 1, 3, 4 and 5 only (c) 2, 4 and 5 only (d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 ALSO IN NEWS Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – Indian Express UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X. 🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for July 2025. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at
