Mawkyrwat: The South West Khasi Hills unit of the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) has said that the recovery of a package containing uranium from Moreh at the Indo-Myanmar border proves that illegal drilling of uranium is still being carried out in the state and at the same time, shows that the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) and Atomic Minerals Directorate (AMD) are involved in ‘illegally’ supplying uranium in the black market.
“According to news report, the words ‘Explosive No. 337/99% Proven 425. Volt 2014’ were found inscribed on the package with the tag of the UCIL and AMD North Eastern Region Headquarter, Shillong. This shows that illegal extraction of uranium is still being carried out in the state and also shows that the UCIL and AMD are involved in the illegal supply of uranium,” president of the KSU, SWKH, Forwardman Nongrem said.
Nongrem also said that the union was not surprised by the development because in the past the AMD and UCIL had acquired the services of the local people to extract uranium from Mawthabah area in South West Khasi Hills in an attempt to mislead the people.
“We have seen in newspapers that the UCIL has temporarily closed its office in Meghalaya since August 2018, but we cannot trust the government and UCIL because from time to time they tried to mislead the people of the state by saying that they have not extracted uranium, but their work shows otherwise and now it is clear with the recovery of the package which was illegally supplied from Shillong to other countries,” Nongrem said.
Nongrem said that the union has demanded that the state government take action against the officials of the UCIL and AMD for violating the decision of the state government as well as the KHADC.
“We also demand that the state government and the KHADC should oppose uranium mining not only within the state, but should demand from the Union government to close the chapter of uranium mining in Meghalaya,” Nongrem said, adding they should also demand that the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change should withdraw the environmental clearance issued for open cast mining at Domiasiat and Mawthabah in 2007 for extracting uranium in different parts of the state.