Institutional Policy and Its Role in Sustainable Resource Management and Development: A Critical Analysis of the ‘NGT’ Ban on ‘Rat-Hole’ Mining in Meghalaya, India

Mining at the backdrop of traditional institutional regime with its rooted socio-economic and political disposition draws a unique attention in Meghalaya. The ‘Rat-hole’ mining in Meghalaya is unique to its institutional framework where the policy of resource management (coal in this context) is characterised by the common resource sharing and social participation. But overtime the common resources were managed by the few which distorted the property right subject and its natural social claim. This also raised the issue of sustainable use of the so called common property resource and resultant environmental concern. The imposition of ‘NGT’ ban since April 2014 which environmental watchdog view as a milestone, and the unusual dynamics of social acceptance of such institutional policy for both present and future resource use, including the environmental concern, is raising a serious debate in Meghalaya. Therefore, the institutional policy debate of privately managed common property resource and ‘NGT’ ban with its consequent socio-economic and political issues need to be analyzed, which is expected to have serious implications both at present and future.The present study is an attempt to throw some light on institutional policy regime practiced in common property resource management in Meghalaya and the impact of ‘NGT’ ban on various socio-economic and political parameters arising out of its institutional arrangements.